KUALA LUMPUR – The Defence Ministry (Mindef) must ensure that trainers recruited to train army and naval cadets are more humane and qualified, following the recent death of a cadet with Universiti Teknologi Mara’s (UiTM) Reserve Officer Training Unit (Rotu) due to alleged abuse, a backbencher suggested.
RSN Rayer (Jelutong – PH) expressed his sorrow over the alleged physical abuse towards Muhammad Amir Rusyaidi Muhammad Zaidi during an unscheduled training session on November 10, which led to his death. He questioned why such abuse cases keep recurring.
According to reports, Amir Rusyaidi was stepped on the chest, made to move like a horse with someone riding on his back, and forced to perform kangaroo jumps.
Selangor police have since questioned nine individuals as part of an ongoing investigation into the death.
Rayer also cited the 2018 case involving the death of former naval cadet officer J. Soosaimanicckam, who passed away during training after being assaulted by a senior officer at the KD Sultan Idris Navy base.
“I would like to ask: Why are there so many (death) cases like these, especially during training sessions?” asked the DAP MP during a committee-level debate on the Budget 2025 allocation for Mindef at Dewan Rakyat.
“Don’t the trainers have an iota of humanity in them? Don’t they have kids of their own?
“I would like to request (to the government) that when we recruit trainers to train our children, please ensure that they are not only highly qualified in providing training but are also humane,” Rayer said.
Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muar-Muar) meanwhile, urged parents whose children have been victims of bullying under military cadet training to sue the institutions and staff involved.
Speaking during the same debate in the Dewan Rakyat, Syed Saddiq said institutions and staff such as wardens and officers could have protected the individual perpetrator.
“Sue them so they feel the financial pressure. If they are not made to pay, they will continue to act with impunity,” the former Muda president said.
The bullying case of a UiTM cadet followed two other cases at the National Defence University of Malaysia (UPNM) in October. Each victim was allegedly assaulted by senior cadets. In one case, a senior pressed a hot steam iron on the junior’s chest, and in another case, the senior stomped on the junior while wearing spiked boots, causing the victim rib and spinal injuries.
On a separate matter, Rayer called upon the Defence Ministry to mandate health screenings for youths recruited for the revived National Service (PLKN) programme, set to begin next month.
Rayer emphasised that while the programme is beneficial in fostering multiracial unity, national integration, and volunteerism, it has been marred by cases of trainees’ deaths, with 14 cases recorded from 2004 to 2007. Causes of death included heart problems, asthma, infections, dengue fever, and drowning.
“Therefore, I would like to request that the government make it mandatory for these trainees to undergo health screenings.
“If they have failed these screenings (due to diagnosis) of asthma, health problems, and other chronic ailments, I would like to request that they be exempted from undergoing the PLKN programme,” he stressed. – December 2, 2024