In the wake of Rafidah Aziz's open letter to Najib Abdul Razak, Persatuan Patriot Kebangsaan (Patriot) has posed three questions to the caretaker prime minister and demanded immediate answers.
Rafidah, who a former international trade and industry minister, had claimed about a proposal to privatise all land belonging to the Ministry of Defence and armed forces, totalling more than 40,000 hectares nationwide.
“In the light of such an expose and allegations, it is safe to say that the 300,000 veterans, the current serving military personnel, and the Malaysian public, in general, are shocked beyond words.
“Many questions come to mind, especially in connection with the current disgraceful closure of the Sungai Besi Air Force base, and the relocation of long-established military camps of valuable commercial value to remote regions throughout the country,” Patriot's president Brigadier-General (Rtd) Mohamed Arshad Raji said in a statement today.
Mohamed Arshad said the privatisation and monetisation of valuable and strategic pieces of land owned by the military is a serious matter.
“It cannot and must not be decided by one cabinet minister, without being debated in Parliament and unknown to the public.
“Above all, the views of every man and woman of the Armed Forces of Malaysia, which are crucially important, were not sought at all.
“Veterans who had served and operated in those camps attach much sentimental value too, and should also have their voice heard,” he added.
As for the three questions to Najib, Mohamed Arshad said these were:
1.What happened to the proposal during these 10 years, from 2008 until now in 2018?
2. Was all the said more than 40,000 hectares of Mindef/Armed Forces land privatised?
3. And if so privatised, to which company and who are the owners of the company?
Mohamed Arshad added: “All the land belonging to Mindef and the armed forces are located at strategic locations throughout the country.
“Besides the commercial value, any relocation of the military bases would have serious strategic, security and defence implications. Additionally, relocation to remote regions would cause much discomfort to the uniform men and women and their families.
“Patriot is awaiting answers to our questions.”
In her letter, Rafidah said the proposal was made to the government in 2008 when Najib was defence minister and it was approved and executed.
"I was uneasy and questioned you in the cabinet. How was this unknown company selected?” she said. - Mkini
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