Defence priorities in need of Mat Sabu’s attention

Taufan Ganas MIG29 11squadron from Kuatan (from left) Sebastian William, Mej Ahmad Edros Osman and Kapt Norazan Othman at the MIG-29 jet.

CONGRATULATIONS to our cook at Kamunting Detention Camp during Ops Lalang, Mohamad Sabu (Mat Sabu), on being appointed our new Defence Minister. He has been quoted as saying that his first task as Defence Minister is to investigate an alleged military land privatisation deal made to a company owned by three individuals. All well and good, but surely this is but one small part of the overall big defence picture that needs reviewing.

There are a number of systemic aspects of that big picture that demand his attention. Certainly, Malaysia has a litany of scandals surrounding arms purchase commissions, especially the Arms for Aid scandal during Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s term in the 1990s and the Scorpene scandal under Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s watch. Not only do the rakyat deserve an assurance that such scandals will never happen again, they also need the Defence Minister to look afresh at Malaysia’s defence priorities.