[EXCLUSIVE] Guarding our seas: An evening sit-down with Malaysia's Chief of Armed Forces [Part 1]

LANGKAWI – With no other soul privy to his insights, the weight of the conversation hung in the air, as General Tan Sri Affendi Buang contemplated his response over a simple question on the day-by-day reality of Malaysia’s maritime borders.

Unveiling the criticality of the matter, Malaysia’s Chief of Armed Forces deftly painted a vivid picture of the tapestry of challenges, hinting at vulnerabilities and the country’s commitment to secure its littoral interests amidst an ever-shifting complexities.

And he did so with an equally uncomplicated poser in return.

“Are we doing enough to make sure that it is truly safe?” remarked the 60-year-old Kuching-born former Chief of Air Force.

The ensuing but purely coincidental thunderous roar of a zooming fighter jet in the sky outside that reverberated throughout his temporary office -- walled by gypsum partition boards -- accentuated the gravitas of his reflective poser.

“If something were to happen, are we in a position where we are be able to control and shape the narrative of our maritime security area?” he followed up, floating yet another conundrum.

As a maritime nation, Malaysia holds a significant dependency on its portion of the South China Sea which China has controversially claimed stake and sovereignty off based on its fictitious ‘nine-dash-line’ perimeter.

This conflicting claim has significant implications for Malaysia's maritime security and economic interests because it directly overlapped with Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as determined by Article 57 of Part V of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The convention, popularly known as Unclos, was adopted in 1982 and counted the European Union along with a total of 167 countries as parties, including China.

“The maritime security in this area is of paramount importance, even more so as the South China Sea contributes approximately 30 per cent to our GDP (Gross Domestic Product),” Affendi reasoned.

As such, he believed that Malaysia would bear the brunt of any impact deriving from said territorial tension given how the matter is both a security and economic issue.

“Other powers with vested interests in the region have become increasingly involved. They assert their presence and seek a level of control over the area to justify their own concerns. This dynamic contributes to the complexity of the situation,”

“We must assess whether we are taking adequate steps to maintain control over this dynamic environment. It is not solely a matter of asserting our own power but also about exerting influence through diplomacy and engagement with various organizations,” he said.

Last month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that Malaysia was prepared to negotiate with China over its claim on virtually all 3.5 million sq. km of the waters of the South China Sea.

The move garnered a resounding notoriety in the country with critics deeming the willingness to entertain China’s claim tantamounted to lending credence to its stake on the South China Sea.

And in the same month, the 165-meter Chinese Coast Guard cutter Zhong Guo Hai Jing 5901 – the largest coast guard vessel in the world to date – was spotted loitering some 60 nautical miles off Bintulu, intruding well within the 200 nautical miles of Malaysia EEZ.

“Ultimately, our goal is to achieve stability in the region. That is the bottom line. Hence, we must reflect on whether we are progressing towards our desired outcome.

“What do I feel about the day-by-day reality of our maritime security...in a way, I believe we have to do something more serious than what we are doing now,” said Affendi.