Almost certain to be given Mindef post after he is made a senator.
- Armed forces “struggle to overcome image as a single-race organisation”
- A non-Malay deputy defence minister might encourage other races to join the armed forces
- Veterans group says policies in favour of Malays made many non-Malays “feel unwelcome”
- Patriotism among non-Malays never an issue
DAP strategist Liew Chin Tong is tipped to fill the key post of deputy defence minister in what the military hopes will be a strategic move to break the image of the armed forces as a largely single-race organisation.
His appointment is expected within weeks, after he is first appointed a senator, and would come soon after the Pakatan Harapan federal government was forced to defend the appointments of non-Malays to senior government positions long held by Malays.
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, after meeting with top Pakatan Harapan leaders yesterday, confirmed that the person to be appointed as deputy defence minister was not an elected representative.
“We have to appoint the person as a senator first,” he said.
Liew refused to confirm or deny when asked if he was informed of his appointment as deputy to Mohamad Sabu, the defence minister.
“No comment,” he said when asked by FMT.
His appointment to a portfolio that oversees the overwhelmingly-Malay armed forces might not see the kind of protests that greeted the appointments of Lim Guan Eng as finance minister and Tommy Thomas as attorney-general.
A senior source in the military, who spoke to FMT, said Liew’s appointment would go a long way in helping the armed forces as “we struggle to overcome our image as a single-race organisation”.
“Maybe with a non-Malay in the position, it would finally encourage more from the community to be part of the armed forces.
“It’s something we have failed despite all our efforts to woo them,” said the officer, who is part of the army’s intelligence unit. He spoke to FMT on condition of anonymity.
Last month, Istana Negara dismissed reports that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was reluctant to consent to Tommy Thomas’s appointment as attorney-general amid criticism that the lawyer was not qualified for the post due to his weak grasp of the Malay language as well as his ethnic background.
Liew heads DAP’s Political Education Bureau and is Johor DAP chief. He was MP for Kluang but was among a handful of senior party leaders who failed to win a seat in the general election on May 9.
He lost in Ayer Hitam against MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong, the former deputy education minister, who won with a majority of just over 300 votes. Liew has filed an election petition to challenge the results.
The armed forces, which are predominantly Malay, announced plans last year to increase the recruitment of non-Malays by 10% annually.
The move drew support from vocal veterans group, the National Patriot Association, which said non-Malays and non-Muslims were reluctant to join due to “distinctive divisions along ethnic lines” in the armed forces.
Retired Brigadier-General Mohd Arshad Raji, who heads Patriot, had then said that affirmative action policies in favour of Malays had affected the military administration, with many non-Malays “feeling unwelcome”.
“Individuals were not made to feel important and desired.
“Instead, a feeling as an ‘outsider’ made many feel unwelcome,” Arshad had told FMT, adding that patriotism among non-Malays was never an issue. – FMT