What I'm going to share here is what have been pissing me off for the last 10 to 15 years.
Yesterday, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin had went to Lumut to launch the keel of our first Second Generation Patrol Vessel. The SGPV project is for the procurement of 6 Gowind class stealth light frigate to strengthen what is already a weakened Royal Malaysian Navy. Total cost for the project is at minimum of RM6 billion, with a ceiling of RM9 billion.
With the first ship expected to be completed by 2018 and received by 2019, the ships are just what RMN need to police our border.
Today's RMN consist of 2 Lekiu class frigates, 6 Kedah class offshore patrol vessels, 6 minesweepers, 4 Laksamana class gunboats and 2 Perdana Menteri class submarines is not sufficient to police our border.
With at least 3 ships needed to defend Sabah from Suluk intrusion, we have a big gap in South China Sea. Worse still the newest boat is already about 10 years old.
No war?
A few months back, some of you made noise that Malaysian Govt did not chase Chinese Coast Guard vessels from our waters in Sarawak. Do you know that our largest ships are even smaller than Chinese Coast Guard vessels?
With China's nine-dash line prominently hanging over our waters, the South China Sea is today potentially the hottest flash point in the world. So hot that USN had just sent a carrier battle group over to patrol the area.
The only ship in our current fleet the Chinese Navy fears is, no was Laksamana class fast attack missile boat. Today, the missiles had been taken off due to passing it's shelf life. And the only assets we have left that they fear is Perdana Menteri class submarines.
And it is not the Chinese Navy is our threat.
Vietnamese Navy has already taken delivery of 6 Gepard class frigates and 6 Advanced Kilo submarines. They too are claiming some of our waters.
Military procurement is not like your Command and Conquer game where the units you clicked gets built in minutes and know how to fight immediately. It needs to be purchased, built and the soldiers trained so they can operate as a unit.
And yes, RM90 billion? You're sure? It is only RM9 billion. (Note - I had wrongly translated it to RM90 billion. Had rechecked and it is correct to be RM9 billion as the translator incorrectly translated RM90 Yi into RM90 billion. 1 Yi is equivalent to 100,000,000. Still the issue remains. Thank you to Abraham How)
PS - I know many of my friends are Pakatan Rakyat supporters. Some of you had shared the post. And some of you even commented there.
Not every single thing the govt does is about politics. Defence is supposed to be above politics. But your habit of tarring shit on every single govt project, makes you worse than the govt of the day.
And I don't want to be responsible of sending patriotic young men and women to fight without proper equipment because that will be their blood on my hand.
If you feel I offend you, be my guest to unfriend.
What I'm going to share here is what have been pissing me off for the last 10 to 15 years. Yesterday, Datuk Seri...
Posted by Danny Liew on Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Yup. Just what we need. Yesterday,(24 march 2016) 730pm. 2 Chinese Coast Guard and 100-150 fishing vessel invaded our waters (just off miri).....as a not knowing everything guy, it's quite scary to hear that.....
ReplyDeleteYes, agreed. It is something that I had been highlighting for last 4 to 5 years as I have seen how the navy had became weak in the same period. Obsolete assets were not replaced, resulting in a weakened force.
ReplyDeleteThe opposition should play a role to highlight the need, not to politicise saying that we don't need these assets.