Malaysia would benefit from paradigm shift on national security - Rozdi

PUTRAJAYA, July 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s security and sovereignty would be on a better level if the paradigm shifted from ‘national security is the sole purview of the government’ to ‘the joint responsibility of the government and its people’, National Security Council director-general Datuk Rodzi Md Saad said.

He said without the people playing their role, government efforts to strengthen national security and sovereignty could never achieve a truly effective impact.

"However, the projection of national security aspects relates to population growth and existing complexities.

"The question of a multiracial society in Malaysia needs to be resolved properly first, including integration of races and integration of Sabah, Sarawak and states in the Peninsula,” he said as a panelist on the topic ‘National Security Landscape: Facing Current & Future Challenges’ at the National Security Conference 2022 here today.

He said integration among races and states needed to be upheld as national strategic values that cannot be threatened.

"For the National Security Council (MKN), the national landscape depends on how far relations and unity among races can be integrated into the collective spirit that places national interests ahead of personal interests.

"Therefore, the conference today aims to bring back the role and responsibility of the people so that they can work together with the government to ensure national security,” he said.

Rodzi said the conference intended to bring significant thought to Malaysians so that the voluntary Community Based Security Management (CBSM) movement can be applied.

According to him, under CBSM, every settlement would be responsible for the security of their locality, including the management of incidents and accidents before the arrival of the authorities as well as developing security standard operating procedures in their areas. 

-- BERNAMA