SHAH ALAM: As we wait for the Home Ministry’s decision on how to complete MMEA’s delayed OPV2 and OPV3, we must look back at had happened within the last one year or so. And it is not very hopeful.
For example, we know that the tender for four helicopters for the MMEA had lapsed without any decision. The tender lapsed on January 15, 2023.
Another Home Ministry tender which had lapsed is the RFB for two motherships for the marine police published in October 20 2022. The tender had lapsed on September 16, last year.
From the original post:
The request for bids/tender was published on October 20, 2022 and closed on December 20, 2022. From the Eperolehan website, we now know that six bidders qualified for the next phase of the tender, the evaluation and selection phase. The six bids ranged from RM194.7 million – the lowest – to the highest at RM299.7 million.
Like the MMEA helicopter tender, the mothership RFB was allowed to lapse without any notice, at least publicly. For the six bidders of the mothership RFB it must be frustrating, to say the least, for spending money to take part in the tender which lapsed without any decision taken.
It was because of this I am wary of the RFB for four APC for the General Operations Force (GOF) will meet the same fate. The deadline to sign off the APC tender is March 22.
It is the same for the RFB for the marine police’s interceptors. If the APC and interceptors RFBs die a natural death, what would one think off about the OPV2 and OPV3 project then?
— Malaysian Defence
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RM150m was spend to complete OPV1 – which is equivalent to between 50% and 70% of the polis marin mothership quotations. No one knows how much more will be needed for MMEA’s OPV2 and OPV3. This just looks like a log jam of cost overruns with current programs affecting funds for new programs. Perhaps another challenge is MMEA and Polis sits with the same Ministry and thus compete for the same dollar? MMEA may not be getting new helicopters, but polis is getting new aviation assets – at least that’s what the budget says. If one has to choose because there is only so many dollars available to spent, what would be the choices or priority?
We dont know how much money was actually spend on OPV1 and the other two. The only thing we know is that the government extended RM152 million loan for THHE to finish the first OPV1.
Those 3 OPVs have contracts signed.
Others that Marhalim mentions, are just at tender stage with no decision taken.
Still, what is the countermeasure for the OPV delay? Get free OPVs from friendly countries as temporary stopgap? Buy OPVs from foreign shipyards as stand in to the delayed OPVs?
If nothing done might as well have a Tua Pek Kong as a minister.
@Kel
“what would be the choices or priority?”
Its the reason why under PM Najib, MMEA sits under PM Office as they know such a young outfit will get bullied and only fed off the scraps from others. In its early days this was exactly what happened but they were provided resources to start building new ships & recruiting more externally. Imho putting under Home Minister was a real bad idea.
@hulubalang
“Still, what is the countermeasure for the OPV delay?”
Supposedly we are getting an exUSCG patrol ship, and likely more boats from Japan under their OSA program.
Well, like the 2nd and 3rd OPV, things will only get worst from here. I thought MINDEF only have bad management, it turns out, Home Ministry decided to \”hold my beer\” instead.
MMEA will get its remaining OPVs,h’everlate it may be.
The General Operations Force (PGA) & the Marine Police, meantime, are actually ‘sunset’ agencies that have outlived their relevance in modern days. Why would the Marine Police (in charge of riverine activities) be given “new motherships” when they were asked to surrender their “old ships” to MMEA? Similarly with GOF.Why would they need new APCs -to enforce peace & stability in the community? APCs are meant more for engaging “armed bandits”, which the country don’t have at the moment. They also need not go to war with external aggressors. The Armed Forces are equipped for that purpose
Akmal – ”I thought MINDEF only have bad management, it turns out, Home Ministry decided to \”hold my beer\” instead.”
It’s the country which has ”bad management”; as in the very flawed way we handle things; from the actual seriousness we place on defence to the way we select companies [how did the companies who got the Little Bird; Korean training ships and other contracts get selected?] to the politically driven way of doing things where hubris and national interests takes precedence and where ensuring the taxpayer and end user get their money’s worth isn’t the aim.
Not to mention our inability or learn from the long list of previous mistakes and ensure we at least have the right corrective mechanisms in place and oversight [way before the LCS contract was awarded it was pointed out that LCS was in bad condition financially and it was recommended that the 1st/2nd LCS be partially or completely constructed in France – as was the case with the Kedahs and Germany – but the politicians didn’t give a toss].
Inche – ”The General Operations Force (PGA) & the Marine Police, meantime, are actually ‘sunset’ agencies that have outlived their relevance in modern days. ”
Well there was a plan to to away with the Marine Police years ago but that’s been done to death with here. As for the GOF; of course the police wants to retain them; unless it has no choice or it doesn’t need something; which agency readily gives up assets and the funding that comes with it? For me; the GOF with its several battalions should be the main entity on land in ESSCOM; the army playing a supporting role. Ultimately there is always a political angle at play; in the old days the GOF [as it’s known now] was also seen as a counter weight against the army and the army wanted to limit its powers. Why do you think the GOF has APCs with 20mm cannons for which ammo was never issued and why it bought 81mm mortas which wewre also never issued?
Inche – ” APCs are meant more for engaging “armed bandits”
Actually it’s a wee bit more than that. APCs are intended to provide protection and mobility for troops in certain operational circumstances; as well as other roles. Look up the roles armoured vehicles performed during the 1st and 2nd Emergency. BTW we still take seriously the threat from non state actors.
Inche – ”The Armed Forces are equipped for that purpose”
Yes but in the larger scheme of things; from a government perspective the GOF and Marine Police are still needed for certain roles; why do you reckon the police i as large as it is and why the Home Ministry gets the budget it does?
Inche – ”why would the Marine Police (in charge of riverine activities) be given “new motherships” when they were asked to surrender their “old ships” to MMEA? ”
For the simple reason that it’s still authorised to have certain assets and it has its own AORs up to several NM from the coast.
… – ”Still, what is the countermeasure for the OPV delay? Get free OPVs from friendly countries as temporary stopgap? Buy OPVs from foreign shipyards as stand in to the delayed OPVs?”
What makes you even think the politicians are even remotely interested in ”countermeasures”? We’ve had a shortage of various things for so long and had various capability gaps which were not filled or when they were it was belated. As for ”OPVs from foreign shipyards as stand in to the delayed OPVs” : do you realistically see the government allocating funds for this purpose? As far as the government is concerned the MAF and MMEA has to make do with what they have until they get what they need; whenever that might be.