BERSIH AND THE ROLE OF THE ARMY

As July 9th draws near, my heart begins to throb and pound much louder. I am then reminded of some frightful and threatening rhetoric’s made by some leaders and including the police that there are expecting the worse (including bloodshed I presume) during the Bersih rally. The police have ceased to have any more discussions with the organizers’ of Bersih. Bersih has now become a dirty word, even dirtier than the sex-video episode brought about by the famous Datuk Trio. Now even wearing anything yellow is deemed an offence that threatens national security. This is 1 Malaysia at its funniest, and is the police suggesting that being naked is safer than wearing a yellow T Shirt? I thought red is more dangerous because it represents the communist colour, whereas yellow is representative of the royalty.

Visions of the horrendous May 13, 1969 racial rioting comes to my mind; like a rewind to some old horrid and frightening ghost stories. Some Malay NGOs are even ‘sharpening the keris’ and pledging to deploy their warriors all readied and geared for the fiercest battle of their lives. And I have not heard of any Chinese Kung Fu experts or the Indian wrestling groups announcing their participation in the rally. I suppose the Malay warriors will be wearing black like their cousins; the Japanese Ninjas. If I may ask, who are these Malay warriors going to fight with? And who is the Field Marshal to lead the warriors? Will it be the pot bellied miscreant Field Marshal Ibrahim Ali? And to Field Marshal Ibrahim Ali………..I doubt your fitness, so please have the Bulan Sabit Merah ambulance to accompany you because you will faint even before you can start walking, and do not leave your brains behind.

I believe orders (hopefully not from Minister Hishamuddin Hussein) are out for the military to be prepared for deployment; should serious and uncontrollable rioting breaks out during the rally. I am firmly against the use of the military, and they ought to be steadfast in remaining neutral. The police have enough resources, and after all it is their primary responsibility to ‘battle’ a public order situation. The military today is not geared nor equipped for Public Order. In the days gone by, we even had a camera to be used for public order in the ‘equipment table’ in all infantry units. Today, that item is out, and along with it, the gas musk, the stretcher and the banner. Even the Public Order Manual is today a museum piece.

I clearly remembered in 1997 when all Police Field Force units were withdrawn from manning the coastal areas of the country against the entry of Indonesian illegal immigrants, only to be replaced by army units. I think the reason for this change of deployment is to allow more police resources to perform policing duties. As the Chief of Staff of the Army Field Command then, I wasn’t happy with this change of deployment as this will reduce the army’s role to one of a static observatory role that is best suited for the territorial’s or para military forces. And anyway, stopping illegal immigrants surely is neither the primary nor a secondary role of the army. And 13 years later, I am told that this deployment is still being undertaken by the regular forces of the army.

Now, the army is told to be ready for deployment for public order duties. What next? Guarding the homes of our VVIP’s?

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION