MAY 3 — The Roman strategist and General Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus once said, Si vis pacem, para bellum which loosely translates to “If you want peace, prepare for war”. The current situation in Malaysia is reminiscent of a war-like condition; the enemy is unseen, and the effect on society, and the security of the nation, hangs precariously in the balance, with the threat of civil unrest and pandemonium looming, if mishandled.
In the current South-east Asian geo-strategic scenario, conventional threats such as a state-versus-state war has taken a back seat compared to non-conventional threats such as transborder crimes, piracy and, in our current case, a threat to civil society by a pandemic that has hit us with unprecedented speed and ferocity.
While the conventional roles of the MAF remains, the MAF has taken a crucial step forward to assist the nation in its time of grave crisis – a time when the existing resources of the nation is being tested in terms of its endurance and sustainability.
This article aims to set the record straight on several matters pertaining to the role of the MAF in the current pandemic environment and how its capable of assisting the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) and the Ministry of Health (MoH), leveraging on its diverse set of expertise, capability and capacity.
The MAF in fact, has the components of almost all federal ministries within its own organisation, fanned out among the units of its three services and the many corps or regiments within the Army itself.
These include a fully capable and functional Medical Corps, Intelligence Corps, Engineering Corps (with an embedded chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear explosives capability) and many others, apart from its airborne and seaborne force.
It has the ability to quickly reach every corner of the country under its own control and authority, and does not have to rely on any federal ministry to provide this support. The MAF’s evolution in capability is the result of experience gained since independence through operations conducted, and extensive collaborations with friendly military forces, over the decades.
When the Chief of Defence Force (CDF), Gen Tan Sri Datuk Seri HjAffendi bin Buang RMAF declared to the media (The Star, 20th Mar 2020) that the MAF is ready to assist the RMP in enforcing the MCO, as well as support the MoH through its Medical Corps, many naysayers missed the key phrase in his statement – “to assist and support”.
The MAF’s primary role has always been, and will always be, to defend the sovereignty and integrity of national borders. However, many a time, the MAF has been called in to assist and augment other government agencies in curtailing or managing internal crises as they arise
When a crisis presents itself, the MAF’s components are expeditiously deployed to assist in containing the area, conducting necessary clean-up operations and providing medical care to those in the vicinity, as needed.
The MAF has, at its disposal, every equipment necessary to handle these situations, including high-tech detection equipment and personnel protection equipment (PPE). MAF has its own array of heavy loaders and movers either by land, sea or air.
It functions as one entity with a single chain of command, easing the decision-making process and avoiding bureaucratic hurdles because the orders come directly from the CDF himself. As seen during the Sungai Kim Kim pollution episode, the MAF never took the lead as it was under the purview of another ministry. The MAF went in, did the job it was assigned, and left when it was no longer needed.
As is the case with the ongoing Covid-19 MCO enforcement, the MAF elements involved are never deployed in isolation but are supporting elements to the RMP personnel in designated areas.
In fact, every MAF personnel involved in enforcing the MCO comes under direct jurisdiction of the Police Station nearest to his assigned post and MAF personnel do not have the authority to arrest wrongdoers but instead, must refer him or her to his RMP counterpart present there. The MAF’s role during the MCO is clear. It is there to augment the RMP in beefing up the strength of the personnel required to man some 2000 checkpoints all over the country.
The MAF’s Medical Corps’ involvement in treating Covid-19 patients involves assisting the MoH in providing screening facilities, and where necessary, admission of low-threat cases.
While MoH hospitals and doctors treat high-risk patients in designated Covid-19 treatment facilities, MAF’s specialists and personnel man screening facilities as requested by MoH.
At present, Hospital Angkatan TenteraTuankuMizan (HATTM) receives non-Covid-19 patients from other MoH hospitals to ease their burden and at the SimpangRenggam Enhanced MCO locations, MAF medical staff have relieved MoH personnel at community clinics to look after minor ailments, thereby enabling the MoH doctors and nurses to be channelled to Covid-19 treatment facilities.
No doubt though, should it be needed to step up, the MAF’s Medical Corp and its entire range of specialists is ever ready to move up and stand alongside their civilian counterparts.
The stigma of seeing troops in urban areas and patrolling the streets stems from the public perception that the military’s job is only in fighting wars and it’s no surprise that MAF’s involvement in the MCO started off under a cloud of negativity.
Soldiers on foot patrolling the streets and manning checkpoints with their police comrades have since become a normal sight, and public perception and confidence have improved. Si vis pacem, para bellum is not just a random saying by Vegetius. It is a dogma of every military force in the world.
When the Covid-19 pandemic presented itself, the MAF saw an opportunity to put its troops into one of its least exercised roles, the Preservation of Public Order (POPO). This comes under the ambit of the Whole of Government (WoG) initiative, which allows all available government machinery to be coordinated and amalgamated into one working entity in carrying out tasks as assigned by the National Security Council (NSC). It is this WoG approach that is in play during the MCO at the moment, and it has been proven to be effective.
The issue of a soldier’s life being put in harm’s way by being involved in Covid-19 pandemic related tasks should never arise. All military operations are conducted after detailed planning and a thorough risk assessment is done, and action taken after all the risks have been factored in and deemed acceptable.
A soldier embarking on MCO duties will take every possible precaution there is to ensure that his life is not put in danger through his own negligence. His superior officers too, will make sure that his men are mentally and physically ready for the task at hand. Nothing is left to chance.
In conclusion, the MAF’s involvement in assisting the RMP and MoH is just another arrow in its quiver that it has been entrusted with throughout its 87-year existence with the interests of the Malaysian people always remaining paramount.
The MAF will remain professional in its conduct of operations and tasks, whatever, whenever and wherever that may be. British Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, during the Battle of Britain, said: “Never was so much, owed by so many, to so few”. God willing, Malaysia will emerge stronger than ever. All it needs is a concerted effort by all parties involved and a little bit of divine help to push us in the right direction.
This may be our finest hour yet.
* Colonel Sebastian A. William RMAF is with the Malaysian Armed Forces Defence College, National Centre for Defence Studies (PUSPAHANAS).
** This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
