SHAH ALAM: Prime Minister DS Anwar Ibrahim on June 17 said he was embarrassed to see RMN ships from the 70 and 80s taking part in LIMA 2023. Anwar was the guest of honour for the fleet review at LIMA 2023 where fourty ships – half of them Malaysian – took part.
From Free Malaysia Today:
Anwar said he had been astonished to see a navy frigate dating from the 1970s on display at the recent LIMA maritime and aerospace expo in Langkawi.
“I want to salute these ships but I don’t know where to put my face. The last frigate (on display at LIMA) was from 1998,” he said, adding that the government had approved allocations when Lim Guan Eng was finance minister (from 2018-2020).
Anwar, I believe, misspoke about the frigate from the 1970s as KD Lekir which took part in LIMA 2023 was launched in 1983. As for the frigate from 1998, again he misspoke as KD Lekiu and KD Jebat, were commissioned in 1999. There were FACs procured in the 1970s that took part in LIMA 2023, of course.
Anwar was speaking at RMAF Butterworth airbase as part of his visit to Penang in the run-up to the state polls. He told the airmen that he:
Had given orders to the service chiefs of the army, navy and air force that purchasing decisions should be made on professional grounds by the respective units.
“Politicians need not meddle. Same for external agents. When it is decided, we discuss with the Treasury on costs and we negotiate directly with the relevant governments,”
Anwar said the direct-deal method employed by the government in military purchases would prevent the occurrence of corrupt commissions.
He recalled a time when some parties pocketed 100 million euros in commissions to acquire a submarine.
“I am prime minister and finance minister, power is in my hands, but what do I know about jet fighters? So best to leave it to the experts who can compare with other types of aircraft,” he said.
PMX also misspoke when he commented on the submarine deal. It was for two new submarines and a training sub. It is unclear however whether the embarrassment will get Anwar to boost the defence budget up to two per cent of the GDP, at least, to allow the procurement of long delayed stuff.
Together with a clear plan to ensure the funds are not whittle away by wastages as he mentioned above. The first clear clue will be answered on how his administration deal with the LMS Batch 2 project.
— Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (52)
We’ll see if what he said is just cosmetics. We’ve been doing things a certain way for so long that it’s become ingrained in the system.
He knows fully well how things are given he’s been in the gene for so long. As a matter of interest; he was at the signing ceremony for the Fulcrums almost 30 years ago.
Since he himself admitted he knew jack about military how about he keep his opinion to himself rather han airing dirty sheets in the public and not only embarrassed himself but also the whole malaysia?
Direct deal method in itself a form of political meddling Mr PM-x.
Embarrassed? Well, that took awhile.
If that’s the case, just hurry up with LMS B2
Off topic. Have you seen the news that Indonesia planning to place their ballistic missile near our border
Nope, of course, everything they have is near our borders. It's the tyranny of geography. Do you expect them to put most of their stuff next to PNG or Timur Leste?
Really? Back when he was Menhan, what did he do to be unembarrassed?
He was never the Menhan
Haiqal - “Have you seen the news that Indonesia planning to place their ballistic missile near our border”?
What “ballistic missiles”? In the 1990’s after all the euphoria about Scuds and the Gulf war they toyed with the idea of getting Scuds. If they do get ballistic missiles or cruise missiles [i.e. Brahmos] it will be a deterrent against China but the country which will get uptight is Singapore which already has a anti ballistic/cruise missile capability.
One also can’t change geography; if say Indonesia got S-400s they can place it in Palembang but it would still overlap into our airspace. Anyway what’s the issue; Anwar mentions his special relationship with them.
'Direct deal method in itself a form of political meddling Mr PM-x' .. Zaft, direct deal means ATM invites manufacturers to tender direct .. sans any agent in MY. No political meddling there
" What “ballistic missiles”? "
At the end of 2022, Indonesia signed a contract for the Roketsan KHAN tactical ballistic missile system. The KHAN ballistic missile is based on the Chinese BP-12A ballistic missile, which is exported to Qatar and Myanmar.
It is bought through a a quite convoluted way, with Czech Excalibur Army being the main contractor, with Roketsan a subcontractor to Excalibur Army, and the whole contract funded by loan from Czech Eximbank.
The KHAN tactical ballistic missile does not have the range to hit China from Indonesia, the only possible target would be Malaysia, Singapore or Papua New Guinea.
Could also hit parts of Thailand and Philippines