'You are disloyal to the country if you condone election fraud by your personnel, even if ordered by the commanding officer.'

'How can we be loyal to you if you're disloyal to us?'

Jiminy Qrikert: Armed Forces chief General Zulkifeli Mohd Zin has got his priorities totally wrong. Who is he loyal to - the nation and the rakyat he claims to protect or the ruling regime?

Going by his stand, it is clear that instead of making any effort to investigate the accusations, he flatly denies such incidents ever occurred.

A total of five people have come forward to confess they were instructed to commit electoral fraud. If these five people were lying, take them to court instead of issuing denials. Surely there must be legal avenues for the Malaysian Armed Forces to protect its good name.

This is not a case of the five accusers being treacherous towards the Armed Forces, but instead a clear-cut case of the Armed Forces being loyal to Umno, instead of the nation and rakyat.

Multi Racial: Wait a minute, General Zulkifeli. I don't understand your rationale for this emotional outburst. Nobody is above the law and if someone breaks the law, they should be prosecuted to the maximum of the law with no exception, even for the army.

For you as Army chief to immediately denied any wrongdoing without any investigation is just irresponsible. Those evidence disclosed by our nation's soldiers have to be taken seriously.

If found true, those involved have to be prosecuted. If there were lies, then those involved in spreading lies should also be prosecuted.

As such, in view of the serious accusation, don't you think as Armed Forces chief, you would want to get to the bottom of it to clear the name of the army and prosecute those who created those fraud.

To lend credit to the investigation, it is best you invite the establishment of a royal commission. For now, I believe most Malaysians believe these soldiers were telling the truth.

DannyLoHH: Is the Armed Forces chief serious? Asking the people to be loyal to the army? What are we? A country ruled by a military junta?

In a democratic country, it is the onus of the army to be loyal to the nation and its citizen, the citizen merely need to support the army.

History have shown that when the citizens of a country have to be loyal to the army, that country is in turmoil, either the country is ruled by a military junta or it is in civil war, where the citizens have to openly declared which army they are loyal to.

So, what does General Zulkifeli Mohd Zin mean when he said, "How can we be loyal to you if you're disloyal to us"?

Who are the "you" and who are the "we"? It sounds like the good general is looking for an enemy for the army.

How can exposure of electoral fraud committed in the rank-and-file of the army be constitute as an hostile act towards the army? Isn't electoral fraud a treacherous act? Why shoot the messenger before even starting to investigate the allegations?

Dood: I think the more important question to ask, and the one to ask the Armed Forces chief, is: "How can civil society and the country be loyal to you if you're disloyal to us?"

He should be reminded that his first loyalty is to the country, not to any code of conduct in the military or any sense of mistaken honour to keep silent about electoral abuses.

He should be reminded that electoral fraud is an act of betrayal against the country and, at the very least, serious complaints such as those brought up by these ex-servicemen should be investigated to the fullest to protect the country from the enemies within, and not accused of "betrayal".

Elysium: The general has missed the point. It is not about loyalty. It is about fraud and manipulations in the postal votes.

Bhajnik Singh: Loyalty to their country and not to Umno, that is what is displayed by these brave men. Unlike you, general, they have a conscience and cannot live with the fact that they cheated, the truth frees them.

All you soldiers, the true defenders of Malaysia, step up and demand from the bullies in your ranks aligned to Umno for your right to vote freely without interference. That is your divine right under the constitution.

Cala: The central theme of General Zulkifeli's argument for any of his down-lines is - just follow the order, regardless of whether the order issued is lawful, ethically or morally correct.

But we are in the age of the Internet. Everyone must be answerable for his own action. Nothing should be taken for granted unless it can be verified by sound reasoning.

Disgusted: So ATM (Armed Forces) can cheat, lie, fraud and even kill and no one can blow the whistle on them? Expect the soldiers to see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. What kind of logic is that?

The real traitors are those who sell the country to anarchy and lawlessness, who sell to foreigners for their own self interests and to hold on to power at any cost.

The ex-soldiers did the right thing - they showed their loyalty to the country and its rakyat by exposing all the fraud done by the army against the rakyat who they are supposed to protect. The chief of armed forces has a twisted sense of loyalty.

I thought the army was to be impartial and loyal to the king and country. It looks like BN has also brought the army also under its wings, like the police, judiciary, MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission), NRD (National Registration Department), EC (Election Commission), etc.

YellowBoxer: You are disloyal to the country if you condone election fraud by your personnel, even if ordered by the commanding officer.

The latter is disloyal to the country for the blatant act of voting for others when voting is the right of individual citizens. Nobody can take that right away.

General, are you asking your personnel to put the military before the nation? All army personnel must be loyal only to country and not to the military. You must defend the constitution of Malaysia, nothing else.

Abil: To put an end to this controversial balloting of Armed Forces personnel, we have to have election officers and political parties representatives present in all military bases when balloting is conducted.

For far too long there has been a suspicion that Armed Forces personnel are not being allowed to vote independently. The Armed Forces chief should initiate such a move so that the good name of the Armed Forces is not tarnished.

It is not a question of loyalty, it's about being transparent.

Major Kamaruddin: As head of the Armed Forces, he must have discipline, character, and be a man of integrity.

I was in the forces and what my comrades are saying is true. How can this man be holding a position of trust when he lied to the very nation he is supposed to protect?

General Zulkifeli, please for the honour of the nation, step down.

Abasir: "How can we be loyal to you if you are disloyal to us." "If you don't help us, how can we help you?"

The statements do have a familiar ring to it.

General Zulkifeli, World War II is over

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .