Cutting Defence Budget Leads To Existential Threat

Firstly, allow me to thank Bro Muhaimin Ahmad for sharing this photo. I missed it out because it was published in The Star. I seldom buy the Star although they are more readily to publish my letters.

As pointed out by Muhaimin Ahmad, our defence budget is very small. In fact probably one of the smallest in the world in terms of GDP percentage.

Hence, it itself is not viable in the long run. The small size leads to mass obsolescence and attrition.

A healthy defence budget is around 2.0%, as suggested by NATO. Even that, is within NATO circle where each country is expected to carry their own weight, especially facing the potential threat of Russia.

Ours, as I recalled hovers between 1.5% to 2.0%. That depends if the government has enough fund or not. Usually, defence budgets are first to be cut off.

Truth is, our Armed Forces is sufficient to defend our country from foreign threats. But with the equipment we have and comparison against our neighbours, friendly or otherwise, we do not have the staying power.

I find it very ironic that the person wrote to the paper claiming that as a peace loving nation, we do not have enemies. Just recently, many Malaysians criticised the government for allegedly placing us at risk by angering North Korea, by insisting to arrest their citizens involved in a murder in our country.

If our defence is sufficiently strong, do we even need to worry about such threats?

Or have the writer forgotten about Lahad Datu and Semporna attack? I won't and I can't. Amongst the dead count families of my friends, and I personally sent one off,

albeit late.

And if you think that raising a military to fight war is easy like playing Command and Conquer Red Alert, as easy as clicking on a building to produce units with combat equipment, thank God you're a nobody. Equipment needs to be bought, units trained, ammunition stocked, logistic lines built, the list goes on.

There's a lot of wastage in education system. Clean that up. Don't ask to cut defence budget.

Poor defence budget leads to existential threat. We risk of having another flag flying in Putrajaya, or any of our territories, if we further ignore defence budgeting.

You may not mind that another flag flies in Putrajaya, but I mind. And so my comrades.

Lastly, a country can only exist if her people are willing to defend the motherland.