On Wednesday, Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin tendered his resignation as the Commander of the 508 Regiment of the Territorial Army, a post which he has held since 2014.

He has also requested for his credentials to be withdrawn.

The former Youth and Sports Minister told the New Straits Times that he has submitted his resignation request to assistant commander of the reserves department, Brigadier General Datuk Zainal Abidin M Said, during a meeting at the Defence Ministry.

“I have submitted my request this morning and I am now waiting for a decision on whether it is accepted or not,” Khairy said.

Goodbye commander KJ.
But among the reasons he cited for his resignation was somewhat shocking if not honestly brutal.

“I made the request because I am no longer welcomed in the Territorial Army and the Armed Forces. It is better for me to back out,” he was quoted as saying.

The MP, who’s fondly known as KJ, also tweeted a photo of his resignation.

The resignation came after the National Patriots Association (Patriot) urged Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu to ban the practice of granting politicians and celebrities the privilege of wearing army uniforms and awarding them military ranks.

Mat Sabu has then made an announcement that the Armed Forces will no longer award honorary military titles to politicians.