KOTA SARANG SEMUT, May 1 — A military veteran welfare NGO called Kebajikan Rangkaian Bekas Anggota Tentera Malaysia (Kerabat) has urged commanding officers today to remain impartial and not to influence their subordinates during the election.

Its president Lt Colonel (Rtd) Mohd Nazari Mokhtar said that by nature, soldiers are very loyal and highly obedient to their superiors — which could lead them to blindly following orders and voting according to the will of their officers.

"There is a directive that all enlisted men must follow orders and have been conditioned to do so. The younger soldiers in their 20s who could also be first time voters might just follow their officer’s instructions when it comes to the ballot box,” said Mohd Nazari.

"These instructions usually depend on the personality of the officers themselves. If the officer is pro-BN, the subordinates will be pro-BN and the same goes otherwise. But they should be granted the freedom to decide for themselves.

"Sometimes they want to make a change but they are forced against doing so, especially if there are written instructions to do so,” he added, referring to enlisted soldiers.

When asked whether or not he has encountered such situations during his service, Mohd Nazari said he has never received such instructions from his commanding officer and has never given it himself.

Kerabat is part of PAS-led Opposition coalition Gagasan Sejahtera.

It will be contesting 24 seats under the Islamist party’s ticket. It is contesting 10 parliamentary seats and 14 state seats, but Mohd Nazari did not specify which ones.

"Our candidates are all military veterans. I would like to ask my fellow servicemen to cast their ballots for us because if we are given a voice in Parliament, we will take up their issues as we have served the country before,” he said.