by FAYYADH JAAFAR / pic by TMR FILE

BULLYING within the armed forces will not be compromised, Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein (picture) said.

Responding to an anonymous Tweet where a soldier’s sibling said he had been bullied by fellow soldiers, the minister requested the individual to come forward and report to the authorities.

“I have asked the deputy defence minister to personally look into this. I will not compromise with any form of bullying or harassment in the military. If anyone is found guilty, they will face the law,” Hishammuddin said at the launch of the 17th Defence Services Asia Exhibition and Conference (DSA 2022) and the Second International Exhibition on National Security for Asia (NATSEC Asia 2022) last Friday.

However, he added that the claim must be true and backed with evidence, and that the person should be willing to testify against their peers. “I do not want my members to be tried by the court of social media,” the minister added.

The DSA 2022 and NATSEC Asia 2022 will be held from March 28 to 31, 2022 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre, Kuala Lumpur.

The former is expected to be a high-profile showcase of some of the world’s most sophisticated hardware and electronic warfare in land, air, sea, cyber domains, border protection, citizen identification, artificial intelligence, battlefield healthcare products and technology, training and simulation systems, police and homeland security peripherals, and critical asset protection systems.

Meanwhile, NATSEC Asia 2022 is an international exhibition on national security for Asia, which covers law enforcement, homeland security and border control.

The aim of the event is to provide a platform for the defence and security industries and government agencies to network and collaborate in the pursuit of common goals.

On the current state of the pandemic, Hishammuddin said disruption to the global supply chain also had dire impacts on economies, where priorities had to be re-evaluate especially on how defence asset evaluation and procurement are approached.

“We have witnessed how the pandemic has brought governments down to their knees, regardless of their status and wealth, threatening to tear at the very fabric of our society.

“Even today, new variants of the virus are emerging, such as Omicron, that have again forced nations into a state of heightened alert just as we thought we could reopen safely.

“This is why it is important that the DSA continues next year, albeit safely in a new normal, as it provides a solid and credible platform for various governments and military outfits to come together and strengthen relations in the interest of promoting greater regional and international cooperation,” he said.

In keeping with the new norms and advancement of technology and connectivity, DSA 2022 and NATSEC Asia 2022 will be complemented by a virtual platform as a value-added component to help participants access the contents before, during and after the show.