30th May 2018
MILITARY INTELLIGENCE: WAS IT A PARTY TO THE BN PROPAGANDA MACHINE?
We have been receiving incriminating whatsapp messages on the roles of the office of the Director of Military Intelligence (DMI) during the run-up of the May 9 General Election. The whatsapp messages alleged that the DMI had played into the hands of BN politicians, to drum up voters support in order for BN politicians to win the election. If the allegations are true, we urge the DMI to resign honourably as he had compromised himself as the sole military intelligence authority to protect and defend the nation against all possible military threat to the nation.
The allegations against the DMI are as follows:
1. That he and some other military officers had deliberately used some offices within the Mindef complex as an Operation Centre for political activities in support of the then BN government.
2. That he had authorized the employment of the Cyber Defence Operation Centre for the monitoring of phone calls, social media, Facebook and emails that were deemed to be in opposition to the then BN government.
3. That he and some other military officers in the early morning of 10 May were involved in removing huge amount of cash that was believed to be the leftover cash to be used for the election, to an undisclosed location. It was alleged that the Director General Research Division of the PM’s Department, Dato Seri Hasanah that was reported to have gone into hiding, was also involved in the exercise to remove the cash. Another senior military officer was also named.
4. That he had ordered the destruction of all files relating to the department’s past political activities.
5. That he had ordered covert propaganda activities to be carried out to discredit the opposition political parties and opposition politicians during the run-up to GE14.
The above allegations, if proven to be true, are serious breaches to the roles and responsibilities of the Department of Military Intelligence. Our knowledge and understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the Department of Military Intelligence tells us that military intelligence has no business to be involved in the nation’s political activities.
One ought to be reminded that there has also been an allegation that the DMI had received from the then Prime Minister a sum of RM7 million, believed to be from 1MDB sources in 2013, prior to GE 13. We are not aware if he made any statement to deny the allegation.
We have also been informed that several military commanders were acting like politicians themselves in the run-up to GE 14 by encouraging their subordinates to vote for the BN parties. Some even allowed BN politicians to come into camps to campaign. These military commanders do not deserve to remain in the military service.
Patriot urges the appropriate authorities to investigate the above allegations in order to take remedial measures and set things right in the Ministry of Defence.
Patriot would also like to remind military commanders to remain firmly apolitical, and not to be influenced by politicians who seek favours for their own political gains. Military commanders should be able to distinguish what is official and what is political in their dealings with politicians.
BG Dato Mohamed Arshad Raji (Rtd)
President, Persatuan Patriot Kebangsaan
(PPM-005-14-22052017)
www.patriotkebangsaan.org.my
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