DEFENCE Minister Mohamad Sabu’s recent announcement to scuttle the operations of the King Salman Centre for International Peace (KSCIP) is to be lauded. The Saudi-backed centre, launched in late 2017, was to have occupied premises in Putrajaya and be funded by both the governments of Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.
From the very beginning of its establishment, the KSCIP has sparked much debate among counter-terrorism experts in Malaysia. Firstly, Malaysia already has a Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter Terrorism (SEARCCT) housed in the Foreign Affairs Ministry.