JITRA: Deputy Defence minister Datuk Seri Mohd Johari Baharum said the government has never put military personnel in certain areas for the purpose of winning votes in the general election, instead deploying them based on the needs and strategies to ensure national security.
“Such an allegation is an insult to the country’s security forces,” he said to refute an allegation by Johor DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong that the construction of military camps in certain places in Johor was politically motivated.
“We have a large army camp in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan and the largest naval base in Lumut, Perak but we (Barisan Nasional) still lost the two seats. It shows us that we do not build military camps for the general election,” he told reporters after delivering schooling aid for 2018, here today.
A news portal reported that Liew challenged Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein to deny allegations that a military camp would be built in the Sembrong constituency, of which Hishammuddin is the Member of Parliament.
Liew was quoted as claiming that the construction of the camp was for the purpose of increasing the number of military voters, thus saving the minister who almost lost the constituency in the last general election.
Mohd Johari, who is also Kubang Pasu Member of Parliament, said his ministry would not compromise with any quarter on the issue of national security and would place security personnel wherever needed, including the national service training centres.
At the ceremony, about 400 kindergarten pupils from Kubang Pasu Parliamentary constituency each received donations of two sets of school uniforms, a pair of shoes, two pairs of socks and stationery contributed by UEM Group Berhad. —
