Speaking to FMT, Major (Rtd) Chew Kok Liang alleged that non-Malays were routinely bypassed when it came to promotions in the service and said this was one reason they were reluctant to enlist.
He said this was unfortunate because plenty of poor Iban, Chinese and Indian families could improve their lives if their children were to serve in the armed forces.
“They can study engineering or business and enjoy free boarding while in service and help their families financially with the money they save,” he said. “I know a few who have become successful businessmen using the money they saved during their service.”
He criticised people who harbour doubts about the patriotism of non-Malays, pointing out that a lot of them sacrificed their lives defending the country in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
He spoke of “rampant racism” in the service and said the government should ensure that deserving soldiers get promoted regardless of their racial background.
When he was in the service, he said, there were several occasions when capable Iban officers were bypassed for promotion.
“Forget about the Chinese and Indians,” he added. “We went in knowing there was no chance for us, but when other Bumiputeras like the Ibans were not promoted, it shocked me and my Chinese and Indian colleagues.
“Even if there were a few who were promoted, it was because they had been bypassed by younger Malay colleagues for many years or were on the verge of quitting the service.”
He also spoke of a Chinese officer who was passed over for promotion many times even though he had commanded an anti-communist operation that resulted in the capture of an insurgent.
Chew was commenting on an FMT article quoting non-Bumiputera youths as saying they didn’t think a military career would give them good salaries and chances for promotion. They said they feared being stigmatised as minorities in the military.
Chew, who works in Singapore, was in the Malaysian military service from 1995 to 2009. He said racism had to stop because “a bullet does not recognise race or religion.”
He acknowledged that the military is not bound by any racial preference law, but he complained that superiors would routinely sideline non-Malays “when the crucial time for promotion came by”.
“They would find some excuse not to promote them,” he said.
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