A GROUP of retired police and military servicemen made clear today that they were not against the government, but were against “bad and corrupt leaders”.

The National Patriots Association (Patriot) was responding to Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein’s remark that Patriot was one of many groups trying to influence military personnel to go against the government.

Hishammuddin said this yesterday in response to a comment by a Patriot member that the National Service programme had failed to instil patriotism and unity among youth.

Major (Rtd) Ismail Jr Feisol reportedly said on the sidelines of a press conference on Wednesday that the NS programme had failed because it was conducted by inexperienced personnel.

Hishammuddin replied that while Patriot was free to voice criticism, the group itself had provided no suggestions, and said he believed it was out to influence military men to rally against the government.

Patriot president brigadier general (Rtd) Mohamed Arshad Raji today said Hishammuddin was picking on a comment by one of its members made on the sidelines of a media conference, when the group had made it clear it was willing to work with the government to improve the NS programme.

However, Arshad said, Patriot stood by the comment that NS had failed to achieve its objectives despite more than RM7 billion being pumped into the programme from 2004 to 2015.

“Can Hishammuddin honestly say the objectives of the NS programme have been achieved, or even partly achieved?

“If so, why then are we seeing politicians spewing so much hate? Why then are individuals whose acts and conduct display bigotry, hatred, and insidiously divisive intent receive tacit approval from those in authority? 

“Can we say that interracial disharmony among our university students in campuses is now a phenomena of the past?”

He said all this was enough to cause one to rethink previous accusations that the programme had been a “money-making scheme”.

Arshad said servicemen live by the motto “there are no bad soldiers, only bad officers”.

“Likewise, for any shortcoming in the outcome of the NS programme, the fault lies not in the youth and trainees, but in national leaders. The minister of defence will have to take responsibility.”

He said Patriot had never employed the politics of hatred.

“We encourage and continue to campaign for national unity, besides asking for better welfare for our veterans and retired police personnel.” – February 16, 2018.