PETALING JAYA: Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong has strongly condemned remarks made by a PAS leader who questioned the recent appointment of Lieutenant General Datuk Johny Lim Eng Seng, allegedly on racial grounds.
In a Facebook post, Sim expressed outrage over Zaharuddin Muhammad, the PAS Sungai Buloh chief, who reportedly criticised the appointment of the new Lieutenant General simply because he is of Chinese descent.
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“However, I am deeply angry that a PAS leader appears to have criticised his appointment just because he is Chinese.
“It’s heartbreaking — not only was Lieutenant General Lim insulted, but that PAS leader also insulted the thousands of Malaysians who wear the uniform every day, who are willing to be apart from their families, who endure heat, rain, jungle, and border duty — all for the sake of this nation,” he wrote.
Lim, a veteran with 41 years of service in the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM), was recently promoted to one of the highest military ranks in the country. Sim congratulated him and emphasised the significance of recognising sacrifice over racial identity.
“At the border, bullets don’t recognise race. When enemy bullets come, they don’t ask whether our soldiers are Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Iban or Orang Asli.
“But when an appointment like this is announced, suddenly some choose to see race over sacrifice,” he stated.
Sim also accused Zaharuddin of undermining not only Johny Lim’s contributions, but also the trust placed in him by the ATM and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who serves as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
“Statements like this expose PAS’s real attitude toward non-Muslims in Malaysia,” he wrote. “Is 41 years of service still not ‘worthy’ enough? Must a soldier’s love for his country be judged by the colour of his skin?”
He further pointed to the legacy of other non-Malay military leaders, such as Rear Admiral (Rtd) Tan Sri K. Thanabalasingam, the first local Chief of Navy, and Brigadier General Dato’ Sri Goh Seng Toh, as examples of patriotic Malaysians who have served with distinction.
Calling the statement “racist, seditious and treasonous,” Sim urged firm legal action to be taken as a warning against politicians who stoked racial sentiments.
“Such vile remarks should be met with the full force of the law. Politicians, no matter the party, must never play with the fire of racism,” he added.
The Melaka-born officer recently received his third star yesterday, in a ceremony officiated by Armed Forces chief General Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar and witnessed by the armed forces’ service chiefs.
Lim received his early education at St Francis Primary School in Melaka from 1973 to 1978, and continued at St Francis Secondary School until 1983.
He later joined the 25th Regular Commissioning Course (TJT 25), trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and was commissioned into the Royal Ranger Regiment.
