National assets breakdown is the real security threat

SHAH ALAM - It is time that the Defence Minister is made aware that following the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) scandal and the army tank breakdown issue, it would “not be business as usual”.

Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil said this was not something to discuss lightly as it had happened before the eyes of the people.

He was referring to the incident on Aug 31 when an army tank broke down on its way to the national parade which sparked panic among the people over real security threat in the nation.

"This is not something to discuss lightly because it also drew the attention of the world on what happened in Malaysia that day (National Day).

"First, we need to understand what is the state of most of the military assets.

“There has to be an increase in public awareness about the need to curb corruption and to make sure the allocations are spent in the right way.

"The biggest lesson from the LCS issue is that if the navy wants the Sigma (design) then the vendor should deliver Sigma not the other way around," he said.

Fahmi also said the condition of the defence in the country was not at its best.

However, he said the real challenge was to make sure that Malaysia was in safe hands and well-prepared with equipment.

He also highlighted the importance of spending the allocations provided efficiently.

"For instance, self-propelled howitzers were given at a direct negotiation price of RM854 million for 18 units.

"Is it worthwhile spending that much on 18 units? Is that what the army wants?.

"I believe this is one of the things that the Defence Minister is not committed in," he said.