Hubungan Tentera Dan Masyarakat: Pandangan Rakyat Terhadap Peranan Angkatan Tentera Malaysia

Military and Community Relations: People's view on the role of the Armed Forces

Abstract

Hubungan tentera dan masyarakat telah berlaku sejak wujudnya konsep negara bangsa yang menjelaskan negara dan rakyat mendapat perlindungan keselamatan dari institusi ketenteraan. Sejarah hubungan ini ditemui dalam catatan Sun Tzu dan Clausewitz. Kedua-dua pemikir ini berpendapat organisasi tentera ialah ‘servants of the state’. Organisasi tentera juga di lihat sebagai satu kemestian bagi menjamin keselamatan rakyat, kedaulatan negara dan ‘survival of the states’. Berdasarkan asas tersebut, kajian ini dijalankan bagi mendapatkan pandangan rakyat terhadap Angkatan Tentera Malaysia dan keselamatan negara. Kajian ini dijalankan berdasarkan objektif untuk mengukur tahap penerimaan atau puas hati rakyat sebagai pemegang taruh terhadap perkara-perkara seperti yang terkandung dalam piagam pelanggan Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, meneliti pandangan rakyat terhadap Angkatan Tentera Malaysia dalam memenuhi matlamat arah seperti yang terkandung dalam piagam pelanggan dan objektif Angkatan Tentera Malaysia serta meneliti pandangan rakyat terhadap ancaman kepada negara serta kemampuan Angkatan Tentera Malaysia untuk mengatasinya. Kajian meliputi kutipan data kuantitatif ke atas warganegara dewasa berumur 21 tahun ke atas dan seramai 1,010 orang responden yang dipilih menerusi kaedah pensampelan secara rambang berdasarkan taburan lokasi, jantina, kaum dan kumpulan umur. Penemuan kajian menujukkan bahawa rakyat Malaysia menyedari dan mengetahui peranan Angkatan Tentera Malaysia serta mengakui bahawa Angkatan Tentera Malaysia merupakan tonggak pertahanan negara bagi menjaga kedaulatan, keselamatan dan keamanan negara.

Following the existence of the concept of nation-state, a relationship between the armed forces and society is established which indicates that the country and society shall receive security protection from the military institution. The history of this relationship could be found in the prominent writings of Sun Tzu and Clausewitz. Both scholars are of the view that the military organization is regarded as the servants of the state as they are obliged to ensure the safety of the citizens, state’s sovereignty as well as the survival of the states. Based on this fundamental aspect, a research was conducted in order to gather views from citizens towards the Malaysian Armed Forces and national security. This research was conducted based on its objectives; to measure the level of acceptance and satisfaction amongst citizens as stakeholders towards the matters stated in the Malaysian Armed Forces charter, to gather their views on the Malaysian Armed Forces’ capability to fulfil the goals and objectives as stated in the charter and finally, to examine the citizens’ views on national threats as well as the ability of the Malaysian Armed Forces to overcome them. This study covers a collection of quantitative data on adult citizens aged 21 years and above where 1,010 respondents were chosen through random sampling method based on location, gender, race and age. As a result, the findings of this research indicate that the Malaysian citizens have the knowledge and awareness on the function of the Malaysian Armed Forces as a ‘key role’ in preserving sovereignty, security and peace of the state.