Did The Deputy Defence Minister Misuse A Royal Air Force Carrier For Personal Use?

Misusing of government property for non-official reasons is irresponsible and downright abuse of power. Hopefully this was all just a big misunderstanding. 

Recently, the Deputy Minister of Defence, Datuk Sri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz was seen in a viral social media allegedly using Malaysian Royal Air Force carrier for personal purposes.

The deputy defense minister, dato’ sri ikmal hisham | source: airforcenextgen

Shared by the Facebook page Suara.tv, we can see the Deputy Minister on board of a Royal Malaysian Air Force carrier in a screenshot of a Facebook post by one of his officers, Ridhwan Nordin. A quick check on Ridhwan’s Facebook profile shows that the post has since been removed.

Here are the screenshots of the alleged misused in question:

Source: orenji

The deputy defense minister can be seen wearing an orange shirt at the back | source: orenji

Source: orenji

From the caption of the post, it seemed that the usage of the Malaysian Royal Air Force carrier was not for official matter, but for the ongoing campaigning for posts in Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) of which the Deputy Minister is from.

The caption reads,

”Campaigning in Penang for Bersatu Supreme Council (AMPT) 07 and Bersatu Youth (ARMADA) National (101) (70) (59)…”

For context, the Deputy Minister of Defence, Datuk Sri Ikhmal Hisham Abdul Aziz is the Member of Parliament for Tanah Merah. He is also candidate number 7 for PPBM or Bersatu’s Supreme Council.

This alleged misuse has drawn the attention and ire of many, including the Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai, Fahmi Fadzil who took to Twitter to ask the Deputy Minister and the Ministry of Defence for clarification:

Adakah perkara ini benar terjadi? Jika benar terjadi, adakah penggunaan aset ketenteraan untuk tujuan kempen parti dibenarkan?@MarkasATM @MINDEFMalaysia https://t.co/72WzMAQgl2

— Fahmi Fadzil (@fahmi_fadzil) August 8, 2020

As of the time of writing, no statement has been issued from the Ministry of Defence and its Deputy Minister regarding the matter. Hopefully, there’s a legitimate explanation behind the photos.

Also read: Deputy Health Minister & Other Politicians Allegedly Violated MCO, PDRM Will Take Action