SHAH ALAM: Planning for failure. Even though the current defence minister said that the ministry will abide by the Defence White Paper 2019 (DWP) and its 2021-2025 strategic plan, both documents remained as talking points only.
Yes, I understand that the DWP19 document available on the ministry website, is the public version, but I have been told that even the classified one do not have a detailed funding plan. That said I have not seen it so maybe I am wrong. I have been told though the Finance Ministry officials were dead set against a detailed funding plan, and this was evident as the DWP did not include any spending target to meet the aspiration of the Parliament passed document.
The Defence Ministry had hoped that they could include a 2 per cent allocation per the Malaysian GDP for defence with the DWP but this was not approved. This was not helped further when the-then Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu told the media that the ministry wanted the defence spending allocated at one per cent of the GDP!
Do note that for the 2023 budget, the Defence Ministry and the Armed Forces had asked for 1.5 per cent per the GDP as allocation but the previous government had allocated only RM17.4 billion or 0.98 per cent of the 2021 Malaysian GDP. A two percent allocation will likely be around RM34 billion. The actual defence budget for 2023 could even be lower than proposed one.
Why am I talking about the DWP then? Newly appointed RMN Chief Admiral Abdul Rahman Ayob in his first message to the service stated that the 15-to-5 plan will continue with some modifications. He did not reveal the modifications though. Abdul Rahman said as the ministry and the Armed Forces had stated that the DWP and Strategic Plan will go ahead, the RMN 15-to-5 plan will follow suit.
“However, with the changes in the geo-political landscape, financial restrictions and industrial capability constraints meant that the plan developed in the last five years need requires reasonable changes. Major projects such as the LCS – which is undergoing lengthy delays – will need to continue and the LMS Batch 2 have been registered for funding. Work on the new naval base in Bintulu, Sarawak, which will allow shorter access to areas of interest nearby will also be expedited.”
Do note that RMN can only modify the 15-to-5 plan as it cannot deviate too much from it, as it was part of the DWP that was passed by Parliament. This is the same with the Army and RMAF though they do not have a white elephant unlike the RMN. As such despite the geo-political landscape, financial restrictions and industrial capability constraints it still needed to be carry it out. Unless a new DWP is passed or after it lapsed in 2030.
— Malaysian Defence
View Comments (40)
In private sector, there is no way a future capability plan could be approved without including an agreed budget allocation.
Same with KPI. KPI needs to be explicitly measurable, not with vague statements that cannot be measured like "tertinggi" or "terbaik".
For years the RMN has maintained that the 5/15 would be adhered to; what else could it have said? We all know that it has been as dead as a dodo for some time now [ever since we decided to get LMSs from China] and it's good to hear the RMN acknowledging that some ''modifications'' will be made.
It was a good plan; for the time. Driven by political and financial realities then prevalent but it was simply not workable; as was told to me by various RMN people who had grave reservations about it. Not many realise that the plan was initially rejected by the pen pushing bureaucrats who like most bureaucrats and bean counters have a horizon as wide as a toilet bowl; it took intervention from the highest level to get approved.
And....
We will hear the budget allocation is enough to maintain RMN operation but RMN cry is louder and louder.
0.98% of GDP is still bigger than TNI which is only 0.8%....lol
Might as well put PT91Ms in front of the Finance Ministry in Putrajaya as they didn't want to abide on the DWP passed by Parliaments. What's the point of doing the DWP in the first place if we are not gonna follow it thru.
It was a feel-good project for those in power at that time...
Cannot simply compare with just the percentage as their GDP is bigger than us. If we get their budget and compare it to our GDP it will be more than 2 per cent budget
Hazone - "What’s the point of doing the DWP in the first place if we are not gonna follow it thru"
What's the point of various things we do which we announce with such political fanfare but which we neglect to properly follow through with or implement.
It seems like this country's defence is grim dark. No good news whatsoever. Even if there is one, it's minuscule compare to the bad news. Never to be fixed. Good luck for those few good men and women trying to fix this damn problem.
I have no more words to describe the Govs attitude to defence. Just let the RMN , RMAF n Army tot. When an emergency occur n we cant defend ourselves , jus5 d9nt put tge blame on the ATM
what else can we do as regular citizen? seem like every political parties are the same when it comes to defense.
those in charge doesn't seem too passionate about it either. i'm just going to believe that our defense situation is non-remediable and pointless to even be optimistic about it at this point.
best wishes to our men & women in service and i truly mean that. i hope they aren't demoralized by this ongoing-never-ending issue.
"It was a feel-good project for those in power at that time…"
Indeed its also what I said long ago and yet some forumers had the notion it will change our defence matters. Haha.
I will repeat again, the DWP is nothing more than for PH politicians to shout back then and for rakyat consumption that they are "different" but for the Armed Forces it is lipservice and they only cared for their respective plans (15to5, CAP55, Next4Gen).
"When an emergency occur n we cant defend ourselves"
Nobody will have time to blame ATM. Those whom voted for politicians that didn't care, than has the means would scramble and jump ship to another country if things get that bad. The politicians & leaders would be on the 1st plane, they would be on the 2nd & 3rd leaving, that is if they have left already by then.