The Elite Seventeen from the Indian Military Academy

The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the most illustrious military academies of the world and those who are blessed to have graduated out from this revered institution will always have the Academy Credo firmly etched in their hearts and their minds forever. The Credo is as follows: “The safety, honour and welfare of your country come first, always and every time. The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next. Your own ease, comfort and safety come last, always and every time.”

This very inspiring Credo comes from an extract of the inaugural address made by the then commander-in-chief in India, Field Marshal Sir Philip Chetwode to the First Course of the IMA on Dec 10, 1932. Every time, I read it, I get goose bumps as it captures the true essence and meaning of being an officer and a leader in the Army. It is the standard laid down, which is the underlying philosophy under which all officers in the military operate. Military leadership is synonymous with leaders placing the interests of the country and the men they command above their own, every time. This was made clear to me as soon as I arrived at the Academy and repeated again and again until the day I was commissioned as an officer in the Malaysian army. To date, there are seventeen of us from Malaysia who have had the distinction of being commissioned from this prestigious academy. In no particular order, they are as follows: TENGKU Forces) Abdul Jalil (Johor Military IBRAHIM Ahmad (Johor Military Forces) YAHYA Yusof (Johor Military Forces) TUN Hussein Onn, the third prime minister of Malaysia. GENERAL Tun Ibrahim Ismail, the former chief of Armed Forces, Malaysia. BRIG General Y.M. Datuk Ungku Ahmad Abdul Rahman KDYMM Sultan Sallehuddin Ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah, the Sultan of Kedah. BRIG Gen Tunku Ismail Idris ibni Sultan Ibrahim (TMJ), the crown prince of Johor. YTM Tunku Datuk Seri Ahmad Nerang ibni Almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman (The son of our first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman) FOUR of my seniors — Lt Col Ibrahim, Major Sabir, Major Kassim and Major Hashim. MY compatriots — Lt Col Ramly Samek, Lt Col Fauzi Mansor, Mej Tahir and Lt Col Heera Singh from the Artillery Corps.