MINDEF Vows to Uphold King’s Royal Decree to Prevent Corruption and Abuse in Malaysian Armed Forces

KUALA LUMPUR, 19 January: The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has pledged to use the Royal Decree (Titah Diraja) issued by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim as a guiding principle to ensure that incidents of corruption, abuse of power, and mismanagement within the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) do not recur.

Defense Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the King’s firm reminder, delivered during the Opening Ceremony of the First Meeting of the Fifth Session of the 15th Parliament, is being taken seriously to preserve the integrity of the nation’s security forces and maintain public confidence in the institution.

“We at MINDEF fully respect the titah and the warning. We will ensure it serves as a guiding principle so that past issues of misconduct and mismanagement will not happen again. That is why in my New Year’s address, I outlined eight key approaches and actions to prevent leakages and abuse of power entirely,” he told reporters after attending the handover ceremony for SASaR Residensi Sateria Sungai Besi today.

Sultan Ibrahim expressed disappointment over the corruption cases that had reached the highest levels within ATM. Last Thursday, Malaysian media reported that 23 individuals, including two senior officers and four high-ranking ATM personnel, were detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in connection with investigations into bribery, abuse of power, and misuse of public funds.

Minister Khaled emphasized that MINDEF is committed to ensuring accountability and integrity across the armed forces, with the Royal Decree serving as a central framework for all reforms and preventive measures.