Saying that the privatisation and monetisation of valuable and strategic pieces of land owned by the military was a very serious matter, Patriot president Brig-Gen (Rtd) Mohamed Arshad Raji added that army veterans, those currently serving in the Armed Forces, and the general public were shocked at the claims.
“It cannot and must not be decided on by one minister unknown to the public and without being debated in Parliament.
“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 said in a statement.
Yesterday, Rafidah in an open letter posted on her Facebook page, said Najib had as defence minister and deputy prime minister in late 2008 presented a cabinet paper to obtain approval for several proposals.
These included the proposal to privatise all of the over 40,000 hectares of defence ministry/military land in Malaysia; the proposal that the privatisation be directly awarded to a company owned by three individuals, two men and a woman; and the proposal that the lease be for 40 years.
Rafidah, who served for over two decades as the trade minister under Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, said Najib had not proposed any open tender, nor were there requests for quotations from other parties.
She said during the cabinet meeting, she had asked why Armed Forces fund Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT) was not chosen for the proposed privatisation.
According to Rafidah, Najib had said that LTAT would be brought in later.
Saying she was the only one who had spoken up on the issue, she said the proposals had been approved.
Arshad said Patriot was seeking immediate answers from Najib on what had happened to the proposals since 2008.
He also asked whether the 40,000 hectares of military land had been privatised, and if so, to which company.
“Who are the owners of the company?
“All the land belonging to the defence ministry and the Armed Forces are located at strategic locations throughout the country.
“Besides the commercial value, any relocation of military bases will have serious strategic, security, and defence implications. Additionally, relocation to remote regions would cause much discomfort to the uniformed men and women and their families.”