KUALA LUMPUR: Defence expenditure increased from RM3bil in 2020 to more than RM5bil last year, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said the additional expenses allocated to the Defence Ministry were aimed at development and procurement efforts in light of geopolitical uncertainties.
“Recently, there was an increased military presence by the Philippines and the United States in the south of the Philippines, close to Sabah.
“I contacted Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr and according to him, it was due to China’s offensive.
“However, this is concerning and pushes us to improve our preparedness in Pulau Banggi and Sabah to defend ourselves,” he said during Prime Minister's Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Aug 19).
Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas) wanted to know Malaysia’s defence readiness amid global and regional uncertainties.
Anwar also said government-to-government negotiations are carried out for defence procurements in various situations.
This includes negotiations with South Korea and Turkiye.
“This way, the cost goes down,” he said, adding that there is no longer the need to pay exorbitant costs charged by agents.
“At the same time, the procured items will be delivered,” he added.
According to Anwar, government-to-government procurement also allows the Defence Ministry, Royal Malaysian Air Force and Royal Malaysian Navy to contact their counterparts directly without the need for a middleman.
According to Anwar, unmanned aerial system drones from Turkiye are set to arrive in December, while two sets of surface-to-surface missile launchers will arrive from Norway this month, among others.
