Army Chief, Gen Mohammad Ab Rahman, said the campaign aims to provide information to non-Bumiputeras and the younger generation on career opportunities in the army, which is one of the branches of the armed forces.

“They were also informed that individuals who joined the army could pursue higher education to advance their careers within the force,” he said. Mohammad said this when asked to comment on the army’s effort to attract non-bumiputra recruits before the Aidiladha sacrificial ceremony at Kem Perdana Sungai Besi in Kuala Lumpur today.

Non Muslims do NOT be conned. You will NOT be appreciated and you will be ridden like a horse. Even the Bumis of Sarawak. Do NOT become canon fodder. I have done my bit for 26 years in an Infantry Unit, the Rangers during the Insurgency. Study and get qualified so that you can make big bucks in the private sector. Or overseas. I am talking through experience. I am now 70 years old.

Once bitten twice shy. I do not trust them at all. Look at all the Generals in the image, they are out of shape. You do NOT want to risk your life under their command. Our equipment too sucks. Remember the Sulu invasion of Sabah. It would have only taken 5th Brigade by itself to handle the situation. Sadly that did not happen. Pen pushers and boot lickers were involved, incompetents. They had to source the ammunition from West Malaysia during the Sulu Invasion. How is that for "Foresight", one of the principles of administration? See the incompetency.

Unqualified people are promoted over experienced and seasoned infantry officers and men. They leave frustrated and bitter. I would not lift my hands, not again!!! How can you serve a country that does it's best to tell you, that it does not love you and your children. This country does NOT allow you to love her. I joined the army in 1972 as a lowly recruit. I was fortunate that I was sent for Cadet Officer's training in 1980.

Got commissioned and joined a blooded Ranger Battalion. After a few years posted out to a Training Establishment as an instructor. 3 years there back to my old unit after that. The in between I will not dwell on, it's about promotions. I had already passed my Captain to Major promotion exam around 8 years ago then. I was in the unit for several years, I helped in the conversion of the Battalion from a standard Infantry Battalion to a Mechanized Infantry Battalion to prepare for Somalia.

There were vacancies for Major. Some convert who did it for the love of pussy with no experience comes and takes over the appointment to become a Major. In Somalia I did well, as I had prepared my soldiers well in two companies. My OC a Dayak, Major Christopher Joseph, told me, "Once we go back you will be taking over from me".

In a place called Merca whilst my Commanding Officer was distributing food to the Somalis, it became a stampede and the militia guys were pointing their weapons at my CO, I received that news via my walkie talkie I quickly dismounted and gestured to Captain Ivan Lee who was operating my rear General Purpose Machine Gun who gave me a thumbs up. I sprinted to my CO's location and went in between the pointed guns and my CO, I pointed the M79 and my M4A1 at the 5 gunman.

There were other soldiers of course it was a confined space amongst the crowd of civilians. It could easily turn into blood bath, my CO was not wearing his protective vest. I was, therefore I shielded him with my body. I looked back at my 6 Infantry Fighting vehicles which were around a 100 meters away. My boys had their rifles and machines guns trained on the Militia.

Captain Ivan Lee again gave me a thumbs up. I told the militia leader to lower his weapons, while pointing my M79 at his abdomen. I guess he knew what a 40 mm grenade would do to him. The way it looked was, I was determined to take him down even if I became a casualty. They backed off. Many more incidents I will not relate to you.

Then when I was ordered to lead the patrols to keep the Lines of communication open after the Americans with drew. I give my patrol orders around 1900 hrs, long before my patrol time which will be at 0100 hrs to one of my 3 platoon commanders who was fresh out of royal Military College. When he first reported he said he did not have any experience. I told him it is OJT (on the job training).

At 0100 hrs, I was walking towards where the Infantry Fighting Vehicles were parked. My platoon commander said, "Sir, the operations officer told me not to follow your orders and NOT to return fire if fired upon the patrol, that they are all our "saudara" (relations by virtue of them being Muslims). The Ops Officer was a Chinaman convert for the love of pussy. A typical Reduan Tee.

I asked him if he wants to obey my orders as his patrol commander or that dick of an ops officer. He told me, he would obey my orders. After all I am his 2IC. Came back from patrol and assembled the whole company and told them what the Ops Officer did. My OC, a Dayak was there too. I told the whole company if ever the Ops Officer follows you all on patrol and there is a firefight, shoot him first, in front of my OC. My OC,  Major Christopher Joseph, said  "I second that". That evening my CO asked me if that was true. I related the incident and told him that it was true and whether he had a problem with that. He just shook his head. The Ops Officer was removed from that appointment.

There is always "Swami, why don't you embrace Islam, you do not know what you are missing".  I actually yearn to say, "Fcuk you, sir". They insult you by saying that, they do NOT even respect your faith. My 2IC who was an arsehole from Sarawak frequently brought it up. He virtually worshiped Mahathirudan, saying that no one can be compared to him!!  So you know the kinds of mentality you had to deal with. I am glad I am NOT subservient to their supremacist attitudes.

Well, finally we are back in Malaysia. Guess what? They were promoting another, who converted for the love of pussy, he was my fucking junior. I was very angry and disappointed. I went to my Sergeant Suntai Tinggi's  quarters, whom I had known for many years. Hey sir, this tapai (native wine) is strong he told me. I drank a lot.

Most of the Officers are posted to 7th Rangers to enable them to go to Staff College, as Mentakab is only a two hour drive from Kuala Lumpur, they do not have to shift. They enjoy the perks of getting promoted and going to Staff College at the expense of the serving officers in 7th Rangers, enabled by some fucking senior officer whose balls they were licking. Also still get to screw their wives who are left in KL during the weekends. Whilst in Somalia they get to do all the safe jobs and get extra allowances for just being there. Ain't that cushy?

Walked to the Battalion Headquarters with a confident gait, inebriated. The Adjutant Captain Ivan Lee was there, I told him I wanted to see the CO. He told me that I could not see him in the condition I was in. I told him step aside Chinaman, I want to see him. I pushed him aside and went in of course I knocked the door. Saluted my CO and said, " Sir, how soon you forget. Tuan, ingat tak, saya lindung tuan dengan badan saya (Sir, do you not remember me protecting you with my body)". Why is my junior getting promoted over me again. Tuan, kena ke saya potong lanchiao untuk naik pangkat dalam battalion ini? (Do I need to convert to rise in the ranks? I actually said slice my dick)

To which he said he was instructed by Mindef and some other bullshit. I told him in no uncertain terms that I wanted a posting out of the battalion. You are an ungrateful person, I would die fighting rather than convert, I know all about your faith. That evening he came to my quarters with his wife to talk to me. I told him that I did not want to talk to him. Instead my wife spoke to them giving them a piece of her mind.

Two weeks later I became a Major. When two guys were shot dead on patrol in Somalia, a Muslim and a Christian the attention differed. The Muslims had their own clergy. The OC Major Len Olivero, managed to get the Chaplain from the American Contractor Brown and Root. When you die in combat in the Malaysian Army there will not be anyone to attend to your spiritual needs.

Then there is the saying of the grace (doa selamat), where everyone is forced to raise their hands. They say this, "صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ ٧ (the Path of those You have blessed—not those You are displeased with, or those who are astray). Which means Christians and the Jews have earned the anger and are led astray, but the anger is one of the attributes more particular of the Jews. So do you guys want to still lift your hands to curse yourselves?

They also did away with serving duty free beers in messes, the culprit was Sheikh Madani when he was the Finance Minister. The Ranger Units have become more like Royal Malay units, most of the CO's are Malays. They even try and stifle your faith.  That was the main cause I left the service. By giving instructions that praying in Military camps, "akan menjejaskan kredibiliti anggota angota yang beragama Islam". Still have that directives in black and white.

Brigadier General Arshad Raji (Retired) : I recently received an email from a retired army officer (that's me) who had served in a unit of a formation of which I was its commander. We had somehow lost touch of each other for more than 10 years, and it was a wonderful feeling to be in touch once again with an old acquaintance. He reminded me of some of his experiences with me, which I could easily recall. I can also recall having to instruct him to lay a demonstration for the visiting Colonel -in-Chief, HRH the late Raja of Perlis, of a pair of snipers in action, as well as an assault in a build up area. These are some of the activities that I miss, and I suppose most of the officers and soldiers of the unit that had come under my charge, have all left the army too.

The officer, who opted for an early retirement was frank and forthright in explaining to me the reasons for quitting the army early. He joined the army out of sheer love for the military service, and being a non-bumiputra, he was commissioned into a Ranger battalion. I recall, the battalion had a high percentage of soldiers from Sarawak and Sabah, and one particular company of that battalion served with me in Cambodia under its able commander Major Christopher Joseph.

Now getting back to the retired army officer, he claimed that being a Christian himself, he was deprived of his religious obligations to conduct catechism classes with other Sarawakian and Sabahan Christian soldiers and their families in the camp. He reasoned out that the church was some distance away from the camp, and that the soldiers were not able to take their families to church regularly, because they do not have their own transport; besides them being out on training and operations most of the time.

He thought that the most convenient way for his Christian soldiers and their families to get together for catechism classes, was to have it in their private homes in the camp. The officer cited that the instruction to disallow catechism to be conducted in camp was from the Division Commander, of which a copy of the instruction is still in his possession. The above aptly described the grievance of a Malaysian Christian officer, residing in a predominantly Muslim community, who felt that he was being deprived of one of his religious obligation.

I am not fully aware of any documented instructions from army headquarters, forbidding officers and soldiers of the Christian faith from conducting catechism classes in their private homes in the camp. If there was one, it has to be properly explained, and an alternative offered to them. I believe, the Division Commander had issued the instruction based on his own interpretation, without reference to any standing instructions. I personally think that it was wrongful for the Divisional Commander to issue the 'forbidding instruction' unilaterally.