Adly Zahari dismisses opposition concerns over military intelligence focus as “perception.”
PETALING JAYA: A Dewan Rakyat exchange over the Malaysia Defence Intelligence Organisation (MDIO) turned tense after Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari dismissed opposition concerns about the agency’s priorities as “perception.”
The issue arose during a session on MDIO’s participation in bilateral and multilateral exercises. Datuk Seri Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (PN–Tanah Merah) questioned whether MDIO’s focus had drifted and whether cooperation with Five Eyes partners could affect Malaysia’s neutral stance.
Adly defended MDIO’s role, stressing that its core mission remains safeguarding national security and sovereignty. “At MDIO, our basic task is to ensure the security and sovereignty of our country through the intelligence domain,” he said.
He explained that MDIO’s involvement in international exercises is conducted selectively within defence cooperation frameworks and aligned with the Defence White Paper. “This approach strengthens the competence and professionalism of Malaysian Armed Forces personnel without jeopardising sovereignty, confidentiality or national interests,” he added.
Adly pushed back against Ikmal’s line of questioning, saying: “Tanah Merah often presents a perception in each of his questions. I must respond to those perceptions because some of them are not correct.”
He clarified that Malaysia’s cooperation extends beyond Five Eyes partners to include major powers such as China and Russia, reflecting Malaysia’s neutral posture. Intelligence collaboration with the police, he added, is limited to matters affecting national stability, particularly issues involving race, religion and royalty (3R).
Ikmal disputed Adly’s remarks, invoking Standing Orders 36(5) and 36(6) on improper expressions and motives, and urged the deputy minister to withdraw the “perception” remark. Adly stood firm, saying there was nothing to withdraw.
Datuk Awang Hashim (PN–Pendang) later supported the objection, but Deputy Speaker Alice Lau Kiong Yieng accepted Adly’s explanation and allowed proceedings to continue.
The Sun Malaysia
