KLUANG: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s letter to the armed forces asking them to give military personnel the freedom to vote in the general election smacks of desperation.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said it was strange for the former prime minister to do so as it seemed to dispute the position and duties of the armed forces.
“I want to ask Tun Dr Mahathir, when he was in power for 22 years, did he ever force them (to vote)? There is no difference between the military and police forces we have today compared to his time, similar in terms of personnel, institutions and agencies... nothing has changed.
“If he can stay for 22 years as prime minister under this system, why does he wants to dispute it now?”
Hishammuddin was speaking to reporters after presenting agricultural land titles to 500 settlers of Felcra Sungai Sepuluh in Mukim Paloh, Chamek.
Dr Mahathir had written the open letter to the chiefs of the armed forces asking them to allow soldiers to cast their votes freely without being punished, posting the letter on his official Facebook page.
Hishammuddin said the government had never forced voters, whether military personnel or otherwise, to choose Barisan Nasional.
The people, he said, were free to vote for whomever they wanted.
Hishammuddin said his only advice for the people was to choose wisely, as they should favour the party which had a proven track record in governing the country.
He said voters should also be wise in evaluating the parties, and not get caught up with various issues raised by the opposition who merely wanted to change the government rather than think of the future of the people.