Semalam Perdana Menteri VI Dato’ Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak mengumumkan bahawa bandar Port Dickson akan dijadikan ‘Bandar Tentera Darat’, sempena memberi pengiktirafan yang bersesuaian dengan peranan dan sejarah Garisen Port Dickson.
Laporan The Star:
Wednesday September 30, 2009
PD now known as Army Town
By ZULKIFLI ABD RAHMAN
PORT DICKSON: This popular beach resort will be known as “Port Dickson — Army Town” in recognition of the services of the army in defending the country.Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who made the announcement, said that as a beachfront town, Port Dickson also housed a large concentration of army camps and training centres, which had produced many recruits.
“The armed forces, especially the army, has made a lot of sacrifices for the sake of national peace. The new term Army Town should be given to Port Dickson, which houses tens of thousands of army personnel,” he said at the Hari Raya gathering at the Army Basic Training Centre (Pusasda) headquarters here yesterday.
Najib said the Government would implement a number of major development projects for the army in Port Dickson, to make the name Army Town more meaningful.
He called on Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and the top brass in the army to provide ideas on how to develop the Army Town.
Najib said historically, as the largest partner in the armed forces, the army had carried out their duties well and exhibited professionalism in fighting off the threat of the communist terrorists and the Confrontation.
He reminded the people that the threat of communist terrorism still existed in countries such as the Philippines and Nepal, adding that the Government appreciated the army’s duties. Najib said he had been Defence Minister for 14 years and had implemented many programmes for the benefit of the armed forces — including increasing their remuneration and providing new equipment.
He hoped Ahmad Zahid would continue to provide his best service to the soldiers in his capacity as Defence Minister.
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Kami di BigDogDotCom mengesa agar Port Dickson diubah nama kepada Pengkalan Adnan dan menjadi ‘Bandar Askar Melayu’ berbanding dengan ‘Bandar Tentera Darat’.
Ini kerana Askar Melayu merupakan rejimen pertama dalam Tentera Darat dan sejarah Tentera Darat bermula apabila platoon eksperimen Askar Melayu diujudkan dibandar ini pada 1933, atas usaha bangsawan Melayu ketika seperti Raja Chulan.

Panglima Lt. Adnan Saidi
Pengkalan Adnan ialah mengambil nama sempena Panglima Left. Adnan b. Saidi, wira Askar Melayu dalam pertempuran sengit Pasir Panjang dan Bukit Chandu menentang pendaratan tentera Jepun pada 14 Feb 1942. Keberanian Left. Adnan, Left. Abas dan hanya dua platoon Askar Melayu dari Kompeni C Rejimen Infantri pertama (kemudian menjadi Rejimen Askar Melayu) cuba mempertahankan kemaraan ketumbukan tentera Jepun sebesar sebuah briged amat wajar menjadi ingatan dan modal untuk menaikan semangat bangsa Melayu dan warga Malaysia yang patriotik dan menghargai kebebasan dan kedaulatan sebagai bangsa yang bermaruah dan merdeka.
Askar Melayu merupakan tunggak dan tulang belakang nadi dan semangat Tentera Darat. Sumbangan dan pengorbanan berterusan Askar Melayu wajar menjadi sandaran modal semangat untuk seluruh warga Malaysia mempertahankan kedaulatan tanahair. Rejimen ini merupakan sayap pertama Tentera Darat yang menerima panji DiRaja dan 1 RAMD masih merupakan unit istiadat (ceremonial) utama bagi segala majlis rasmi negara melibatkan DYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang DiPertuan Ag0ng.
Memberikan penghormatan Port Dickson sebagai Pengkalan Adnan dan ‘Bandar Askar Melayu’ berbanding ‘Bandar Tentera Darat’ ialah pengiktirafan selayaknya kepada tradisi dan sejarah mempertahankan maruah bangsa, ugama Islam dan kedaulatan dan kemerdekaan tanahair. Sekiranya ianya ditahap ‘Bandar Tentera Darat’ bermakna kita masih lagi memberi ‘muka’ kepada warisan kolonialism dimana Garisen Port Dickson sebenarnya ialah untuk tentera darat British. Sejarah jelas menunjukan pengorbanan Askar Melayu memainkan peranan tunggak utama dan paling komprehensif mempertahankan tanahair berbanding dengan lain lain unit.
*Nota kaki: Cadangan mengubah nama Port Dickson kepada Pengkalan Adnan sesuai seperti Province Wellesley menjadi Seberang Perai, Jesselton menjadi Kota Kinabalu, Port Swettenham menjadi Pelabuhan Kelang dan Teluk Anson menjadi Teluk Intan. Kem Suvla Lines di Ipoh kini menjadi Kem Syed Putra, Kenny Hills menjadi Bukit Tunku, Jalan Birch menjadi Jalan Maharaja Lela dan Jalan Gurney pula menjadi Jalan Semarak.
Many ways of skinning a cat and yet….
There are, many ways of ‘skinning a cat’ and yet, some chose to do it in this manner. It is not clearly why it was done in this way. However, one could only guess there is an ulterior motive to make a ‘fast one’, out of the circumtances on the ability to turn and manipulate perception of the whole incident and misfortune of others.
The fact still remain. There was a ‘bar brawl’ and one party walked away. Regardless what one says in a media conference, the fact is that one actually went to the other party’s hotel not so long later when the latter actually already walked away from what could escalate into an ugly scene.
At one of most preferred inn address in town, the ‘unsatisfied party’ was stopped from proceeding. Maybe they were in ‘an undesirable state of presentation’ (being sons of gentlemen and sundry) at the point of time. Maybe they were ‘influenced’ by some substance, when led to their ‘apparent’ agressive state. Regardless, at wee hours in the morning, inn keepers were ‘very reluctant’ to allow persons in such state to ‘proceed further’.
Then the ‘interrupted bar brawl’ which should have been avoided was continued.
The outcome of the incident at the Sultan Ismail hotel is not really certain. The fact still remain the call for the Dang Wangi Police was made by the ‘occupants’ of hotel instead of the ‘agressors’. If the ‘agressors’ were ‘held against their will’, then the ‘captors’ made a lousy job of allowing them to hold on to their mobile phones and thus making calls and sending smses. The agressors should have gone to the Police and requested assistance to free their ‘abducted’ sons but non avail.
Why did hours later, then only the aggrieved party came forward to make a statement to the Police? Is it becuase thy wanted the affect of certain ”substance” and wear of first before they could present themselves and make an official complaint to the Police?
Eighteen statements were recorded by the Police from the persons who stayed at The Crowne Plaza, which include second heir to the throne of state (whose statement was recorded by the Police in Kelantan, where HRH was under going airborne practical course). Regardless what people stated in their media conference which eventually built a public perception; the occupants of the Crowne Plaza were miding their own affairs in the comfort of their suites when ‘trouble’ came to them. Naturally, they have the right to protect themselves. More over if it involves a second heir to a state throne.
The mother claims her son is “priceless”. At yet at the media conference, contradictorily she admitted that her lawyer demanded a whopping sum of RM 50 million and an apology.
We are not sure why after 11 months, the case did not progress further. Probably the statements recorded were contradictory to each other and yet making the process difficult. Regardless, going to the press and media is a grave mistake. After all, it came to public attention that the “aggrieved party” did demand a RM 50 million ‘settlement fee’, it almost sound like an organised extortion and a ‘Royal Black Mail’.
Lets see what will develop from this and the Johoreans’ next step of action. Never the less, making a media circus by washing dirty linen in public three days before Hari Raya Aidil Fitri is utterly distasteful. What more if it was called by a daughter of a former SPB YDP Agong.
*Updated 830pm
The Malay Mail scooped the story on HRH Raja Muda Johor who thought the RM 50 million was “unreasonable and shouldn’t be entertained”.