Malaysia’s new armed forces chief promises ‘total clean-up’ of military

KUALA LUMPUR – A total clean-up of the military is on the main agenda for newly appointed Malaysian Armed Forces chief Malek Razak Sulaiman.

He said the military would carry out a “total clean-up” and would not tolerate any breaches of governance, human resource management, financial administration or procurement.

“This is my promise and that of all the commanders behind me,” he told reporters on his first official day at the office on Feb 4.

He said the recent controversies uncovered were a wake-up call.

In January, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission

seized around RM11.4 million (S$3.7 million) in assets

during an investigation into military procurement involving Malaysia’s former army chief Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan, who was

charged with money laundering on Jan 22.

“My appointment is an honour and a heavy responsibility,” General Malek said.

“I stand here today to shoulder the responsibility of commanding all three services, the Army, Navy and Air Force, under the command of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, as the supreme commander of the armed forces.”

Gen Malek said he had an audience with Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar and discussed several key matters, including leadership by example, integrity in service, management and governance, as well as the need to uphold strict discipline within the armed forces.

“His Majesty also stressed the importance of safeguarding the welfare of personnel and restoring morale that has been affected by recent developments. These are among the key matters that I will carry together with service chiefs as we move forward collectively in carrying out our duty to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty,” he said.

The 24th armed forces chief acknowledged public concern over

recent controversies

, saying that the rakyat (people) are among the biggest stakeholders in national security. He said the Defence Ministry had already taken action and expressed appreciation to its minister for outlining strategic priorities and action plans to address the issues.

When asked if he had second thoughts on accepting the post after recent controversies, Gen Malek said this was not of choice. “Once the armed forces council convened and Sultan Ibrahim consented to the appointment, it became a command and a trust. As a soldier, loyalty is paramount,” he said.

Drawing on his nearly 40 years of experience, he said the Malaysian Armed Forces would regain public confidence and emerge stronger.

He acknowledged that the temporary freeze on operational expenditure had affected day-to-day operations, including logistics, movement of personnel and routine activities, warning that prolonged restrictions could impact readiness.

However, he said discussions were ongoing at the highest levels, and he was hopeful critical operational expenditure would be released soon.

“The military is resilient and will bounce back. We will move forward together, correct our weaknesses and continue our journey towards building a future-ready armed forces that remains trusted by the people,” he said, adding that he would outline a detailed action plan soon.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK