Any misconduct in military camps reflects failure of commanding officers, says ex-general

SHAH ALAM - Any misconduct, including allegations of immoral activities taking place within military camps, constitutes a failure stemming from weaknesses on the part of the commanding officer of the unit concerned.

Retired army major general and former intelligence officer Datuk Khlir Mohd Nor said the structure of the Malaysian Armed Forces which consists of various units such as battalions, brigades and divisions, places responsibility on each unit’s commanding officer to monitor the discipline and conduct of personnel under their command.

"If immoral acts occur within a battalion, then it is a weakness of the commanding officer. That failure is his failure to monitor.

"The responsibility clearly lies with the commanding officer to look after his subordinates," he told Sinar.

Khlir, who is also the Ketereh MP, stressed that any misconduct involving personnel would not occur if commanding officers acted firmly and consistently in enforcing discipline.

"If the commanding officer is firm, this would not happen. When I was a commanding officer, such things never occurred because I took strict action.

"It cannot be denied that such cases have happened within the force before, but legal action was taken without compromise once wrongdoing was identified.

"When we see an offence, we prosecute it in the military court. No one is immune. The problem arises when the commanding officer fails to prevent it from the outset," he said.