Minister Denies Upnm A Dumping Ground For 3 Star Generals

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UPNM has made headlines over the past few years over multiple cases of bullying of cadet officers.
PETALING JAYA: Defence minister Khaled Nordin has denied claims that the position of vice-chancellor of the National Defence University (UPNM) has become a dumping ground for certain three-star generals in the armed forces.
Responding to a question from Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (PN-Tanah Merah), Khaled said appointments to such critical posts were strategically done to bolster the nation’s intellectual capability in defence through education.
“Officers appointed to this post do not only possess knowledge, experience and expertise, but have also been in the service for a long period so they can understand the culture of the organisation and make strategic defence plans,” he said.
In a written parliamentary reply, Khaled also said the 20th chief of the Malaysian armed forces, Zulkifli Zainal, had also served as the UPNM vice-chancellor in the past.
The minister also said the appointments of UPNM vice-chancellors were decided by the armed forces council and consented to by the king.
Ikmal, a former deputy defence minister, had asked whether there was truth to claims that the UPNM vice-chancellor’s post had often been used as a dumping ground to keep certain three-star generals away from the “leadership orbit” in the armed forces or defence ministry.
UPNM has made headlines over the past few years over multiple cases of bullying of cadet officers.
The most prominent case involved the death of navy cadet Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain seven years ago.
Zulfarhan was assaulted by his peers non-stop for two days, from May 21 to 22, 2017, for allegedly stealing a laptop which was never found.
In July, the Court of Appeal found six former UPNM students guilty of murdering Zulfarhan, overturning the High Court’s reduced charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. They were handed the death sentence. The case is now under appeal. - FMT

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