Still full of fighting spirit
88 years on, military remains dedicated to protecting nation
KUALA LUMPUR: Discipline remains the core of the Malaysian Army’s identity in the face of challenges in safeguarding the country’s interests and sovereignty even as it celebrates its 88th anniversary, says the army chief.
Throughout this period, various challenges were encountered such as planning the replacement of assets and the acquisition of new high-tech assets to make the army a more credible and relevant force, said Army Chief Jen Tan Sri Zamrose Mohd Zain.
He added that army personnel had to adapt to changes to ensure that their fighting spirit remained strong.
“Malaysian Army personnel are currently in a very challenging social environment,” he noted, adding that if negative perceptions were not addressed, enlistment and thus the fighting spirit of the army would be affected.
“Outside attractions and negative influences make it difficult for the organisation to build and maintain the identity of its members ... (but) as you know, the core of the soldiers’ discipline is a good identity,” he said in an interview in conjunction with the 88th Army Day at Kem Perdana Sungai Besi here.
Jen Zamrose said various plans had been drawn up since he took the helm of the army last June, with the five pillars (5T) – readiness and mission continuity; strengthening organisational integrity; safeguarding the well-being of army personnel; strengthening defence relations; and enhancing civil-military relations – being used as the main guide.
“To date, the action plans drawn up have begun to show positive signs despite various challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added.
Recalling the army’s achievements in 2020, Jen Zamrose said they managed to continue with the holistic restructuring of the Malaysian Army to enhance its asset capacity and human resources in the Army Field Command East (Sabah and Sarawak).
In line with efforts to enhance its capabilities, several acquisitions of new assets were also carried out.
Other successes included those in the aspects of operations, administration and logistics, he added.
He said among the organisation’s other achievements was the effectiveness of the operations it conducted in helping the government to manage disasters.
He said the team was also directly involved in controlling the spread of Covid-19 through Ops Benteng and in assisting flood victims through cooperation with other authorities in Ops Penawar and Ops Murni.
To ensure the morale and welfare of army personnel, the comfort of the Armed Forces Family Home and technical buildings was enhanced through welfare initiatives carried out by the organisation.
The Malaysian Army also intensified welfare visits and provided better opportunities for promotion to its members, he added. — Bernama