BAGAN DATUK: The construction of the Hutan Melintang camp in Bagan Datuk is not aimed at increasing votes for Barisan Nasional in the area, as claimed by certain quarters.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the camp was being built because there were some security forces in southern Perak who were without a base.
“There are those who claimed we are building the camp in Hutan Melintang because we want to increase the number of votes for BN, but what they should realise is that the nearest army base to the area is in Sungai Buloh (in Selangor).
“Other than that, we have the Royal Malaysian Navy base in Lumut, so there is a void in southern Perak and that is why we need a military base in Hutan Melintang,” he said at an army Jiwa Murni programme in Kampung Sungai Sumun.
Zahid said the construction of the Hutan Melintang camp was not just for the defence of the nation, but also a way for the armed forces to aid the people, such as through the Jiwa Murni programme.
“The Jiwa Murni programme run by the armed forces for local communities has many benefits and is in line with the concept of ‘tentera dan rakyat berpisah tiada (the military and the people are never separated). Apart from that, when the Hutan Melintang camp is completed, the soldiers and their families will help lift the socio-economic status of the area.”
Zahid also lashed out at opposition members who claimed the nation’s soldiers were paid to do nothing.
“The opposition says our soldiers are paid to do nothing but train all day long as there is no war. But in defence and security, there should be no difference whether we are part of the government or the opposition... as Malaysians, we should not question the importance of the security of the nation,” he said.