FORMER defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein has to explain why Malaysian troops were sent to Saudi Arabia for three years which was clearly not in Malaysia’s national interest, said the National Patriots’ Association (Patriot).

Its president Mohamad Arshad Raji also described Hishammuddin as being “clueless” when the former defence minister had earlier said that it was the National Security Council (NSC) which deployed Malaysian troops overseas.

“NSC has no right to deploy forces overseas. They only deal with issues such as food relief and other issues internally,” Arshad, a retired brigadier-general told The Malaysian Insight.

“We don’t send our troops to fight in any incursions overseas. Why should we send our troops into harm’s way? He (Hishammuddin) has to clarify why they were there for three years.”

Hishammuddin said yesterday that Deputy Defence Minister Liew Chin Tong should ask the NSC if he wished to know the truth behind the deployment of troops without the cabinet’s knowledge and consent.

Hishammuddin had said the information should be declassified because it was “of national interest”, but declined to elaborate.

Patriot also questioned if there was a defence arrangement with Saudi Arabia which resulted in Malaysia being obligated to deploy troops to fight alongside Riyadh in its war against Yemen.

Arshad said although the troops were pulled back after Pakatan Harapan took over the government, there was no reason that Malaysia should get involved in Yemen.

“We do send our troops for overseas missions which are sanctioned by the United Nations. That’s legal,” said Arshad.

“If troops were to be sent overseas then it should be sanctioned by Parliament or the cabinet. He (Hishammuddin) is trying to cover himself.

Patriot said that under contemporary international law, all military actions against another sovereign state are unlawful. A military action could only be justified in three ways:

1. An act of self-defence.
2. Collective self-defence to aid an attacked ally, following a treaty of mutual defence recognised by the UN.
3. An international organisation with peacekeeping functions sanctioned by the UN Security Council.

Arshad said the Saudi-led coalition attack on Yemen does not satisfy the above justifications.

“I still maintain that the troops were sent there illegally. We expect answers from Hishammuddin,” he said.

Liew told Parliament on Monday that in 2015, 27 officers and 62 rank-and-file troops were deployed to Riyadh on a rotational basis every three month for Ops Yemen 2.

The deployment, which lasted three years until they were pulled back on September 4, had cost RM14.6 million and roughly RM1.5 million in operational costs, for each three-month rotation. – December 6, 2018.