KUALA LUMPUR, 24 Oct: Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has proposed the establishment of a bipartisan Defence Accounts Committee to look into defence expenditure
This is in view of the huge budget allocation for defence and security worth RM23 billion under the 10th Malaysia Plan.
With the establishment of the committee, PR estimates a total savings of nearly RM3.5 billion in defence procurement.
The budget presented also showed that there is no oversight over defence purchases and procurement. The Public Accounts Committee only oversees all other types of government spending not classified as official secrets.
Pakatan Rakyat reiterated that the procurement process, including the decision making committees, should consist of members of the ruling coalition and opposition in consultation with civilian expert groups.
Negotiations should be done to avoid potential corrupt practices and purchase of 'unnecessary' equipment that are not strategic at any point of time, especially when taking account the Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA).
The Budget also cited the example that the prospect of a conventional military attack on Malaysia has diminished under the FPDA, which may not warrant the purchase of certain new equipment for the next three to five years and in turn would save the country billions of ringgit.
These savings can be used for the development of in-house defence research and development that will help reduce over-dependence on foreign military equipment.
Another potential saving is by leveraging on civilian defence experts who can provide useful insight into the latest defence technology and equipments, thus maximising tactical strategy and the use of capital resources.
