A WARRIOR is someone who has shown great staying power and courage in battle.‎

And that’s how some Defence Ministry staff view their new boss, Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu. The other day, they gave him a welcome fitting for someone who had fought the good fight and triumphed.

Even high-ranking officials broke protocol at a Ramadan event and asked to be photographed with the Amanah chief. Other Defence Ministry staff just wanted to wish him well.

A ministry official told Malaysia Decides: “I have been in the ministry for a long time. I have never seen this type of admiration and respect that the staff have shown for the minister.

“Whatever people want to say about Mat Sabu, we all see him as a warrior. This is the way we welcome warriors. He has fought for a long time.”

Mohamad entered politics when he joined Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia in 1975. Since then he has contested in nine general elections.

When Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced his appointment as the country’s new defence minister, there was a fair bit of sniggering.

Memes and jokes popped up on social media as many took to Facebook and Twitter to question Mohamad’s ability to lead the ministry responsible for safeguarding the security and safety of the country.

Their criticisms were based mostly on Mohamad’s penchant for cracking jokes at his ceramah or the jovial countenance he is most known for.

But he is also loved and trusted because he looks and sounds like an every day man. He is the uncle you gravitate to at family events and the teacher you remember long after you have left school.

What you see is what you get.

A new life

Since officially taking on his role as defence minister, Mohamad says the reality of being on the other side of the political divide is both sobering and exciting.

“In the past, we took on the responsibility of defending the people and opposing all forms of corruption and cruelty.

“Now, we have to fulfill all the things we used to talk about, especially when it comes to fighting all forms of bribery and corruption,” he told Malaysia Decides.

“And also to take care of the armed forces, former soldiers and civil servants,” he said at the Defence Ministry.

He said that in Malaysia, only a small minority of the people were in control of the country’s riches, while the majority lived in poverty.

“It’s so rampant, the elite rulers controlling the wealth of the country. This must be stopped, and this is my job,” he said.

Mohamad says he will not change his values and style despite his position in the Dr Mahathir administration.

“I will follow protocol in the office and so on, but in my conversations with people, it is the same.

“I like being anywhere, I can drink at a five-star hotel and I can drink at a stall.

“But honestly, I drink at stalls more often compared to five-star hotels. This means the conversations, the circle of friends who drink with me, I don’t look at their positions.”

Still, there will be some changes. He currently lives in a four-room house in Shah Alam with his wife and four children. – May 26, 2018.