KUALA LUMPUR: TOP brass are shying away from writing about their colourful experiences in the military.
This has dented efforts to preserve the nation’s heritage, depriving future generations of soldiers and the publicfrom gaining knowledge of military history.
Former Armed Forces Defence College (AFDC) commandant Major-General (Rtd) Datuk Muslim Ayob said not many retired senior officers, including service chiefs, were keen to write books.
‘We need generals to write their memoirs as they have a lot of good stories to tell, being experts in their fields and subjects.
‘These are very important events in their lives in the armed forces, which are invaluable and of immense interest to the organisation and the people.
‘Many appear to be having difficulty in penning their thoughts, but let me assure you,once you get started you will sail through.
‘Get experts (writers) to help, if need be,’ he said at a ceremony on Friday to mark the closing of AFDC after 38 years at its Jalan Tekpi premises near the Defence Ministry.
Present were Armed Forces chief General Tan Sri Affendi Buang, the tri-services chiefs, former AFDC commandants and its board of governors.
AFDC, which opened its doors in 1981, moved in September to Precinct 1, Putrajaya.
Muslim said he had initiated a plan to have Universiti Malaya offer courses on military history to AFDC students when he became its commandant in 1990.
‘But the plan did not take off owing to various reasons.
‘We need to revive the plan so that our senior officers will have a keen interest in contributing their experiences in writing.’
He said the armed forces had many traditions which ought to be retained to not lose its heritage.
He reminded members of the armed forces to know their rights and powers as per the Armed Forces Council and constitution.
‘This will ensure that the armed forces remain a credible organisation.’
Muslim said AFDC had humble beginnings, with limited equipment, like a teleprinter.
‘Facsimile machines and personal computers were a rarity in the early years.
‘As the years progressed, we managed to introduce a master’s degree through a twinning programme with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
‘We also introduced external examiners to add value to our courses and churn outcredible graduates.
‘I noticed during my tenure that many commanding officers (lieutenant-colonels) who pursued courses here lacked fitness.
‘So I personally supervised a weekly run (on Saturdays) up the hill to the Armed Forces Staff College, through the officers’ married quarters and back to AFDC.
‘It kept them trim and fit.’
He advised ADFC students to interact more with foreign officers as they could learn from their experience.
During ADFC’s closing ceremony, the college’s flag was lowered and handed over to its commandant, First Admiral Fadzli Kamal Mohd Mohaldin, to be hoisted at its new premises.
It was done as the “Last Post” was sounded by a bugler, followed by the symbolic closing of the main entrance and exit gates.
AFDC is now part of the RM100 million National Defence Education Centre, better known as Puspahanas (Pusat Pengajian Pertahanan Nasional).
Puspahanas also houses the Armed Forces Staff College (AFSC) and National Defence College, offering a variety of strategic and defence studies from diploma, degree, Master’s to doctorate levels.
Puspahanas is now the premier educational facility for the armed forces and it complements institutions like the Malaysian National Defence University in Sungai Besi and the country’s recruit and officer cadet training facilities.
AFSC, better known as Haigate, was previously near AFDC.
The vacated AFSC premises will be occupied by the Armed Forces Joint Warfare Centre, while the Armed Forces Health Services Division headquarters will move into the vacant AFDC.