SAF highlights Malay Sword of Merit recipient for the Infantry vocation

The Singapore Army highlighted a Malay officer cadet who was commissioned last weekend in its Facebook. The officer 2LT Mohamed Izzmel Sufyan Bin Mohamed was one of the Sword of Merit recipient for the Infantry vocation.

“Recalling his most difficult time in OCS, the Jungle Confidence Course, 2LT Izzmel expressed that he had “never been so physically and mentally strained”. To comfort himself during the training, he always carried a picture of his family.”

2LT Izzmel said that he was determined to make his family proud, and to never let them down throughout his Officer Cadet School (OCS) training.  

In 1986, Mr Lee Hsien Loong who was then the Deputy Prime Minister brought up the issue of Malays in the SAF, where the loyalty of Malay officers might be in question when faced with the enemies of the same religion and race.

But in 2003, one year before he became the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee said that the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is a microcosm of Singapore society and that a serviceman’s appointment and advancement will be based on qualification and merit.

“Malay servicemen serve in a wide range of important vocations. We have Malay pilots, commandos and air defence personnel. Those who have shown the potential to take on higher appointments in the SAF are given every opportunity to do so. Malays have held key appointments such as being Commanding Officers and Operations Officers of units.” – Mr Lee Hsien Loong