FORMER defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein wants to know what is delaying the government from tabling a defence white paper.

The Umno lawmaker said the Pakatan Harapan government kept citing the white paper each time the opposition questioned the state of the armed forces.

“The problem is, as of  now the defence minister has promised six times to table the white paper,” Hishammuddin said, adding that the most recent mention was during the ministry’s monthly assembly on October 14, when minister Mohamad Sabu announced the paper will be tabled in December. 

“So, let’s wait and see whether if it is true it that it will be tabled this time around,” he said when debating Budget 2020.

Hishammuddin said he is concerned over the direction of the ministry under the leadership of Mohamad, who is popularly known as Mat Sabu.

The Sembrong MP said the RM15.6 billion allocation cannot be used as a yardstick to gauge the government’s seriousness in beefing up national security, as despite a similar budget last year, no big initiatives or strategic plans have been announced.

Meanwhile, Shahidan Kassim (BN-Arau) asked Hishammuddin’s view on immediate actions that should be taken to beef up national security as it can take up to three years to build a defence asset.

“Most recently, Mohamad said the white paper will be tabled after Budget 2020, hence what Arau said is extremely important in the context of planning for defence assets, as it takes time and terrorists will not wait until we have the white paper,” said Hishammuddin.

He added while the white paper will lay down the plans for the next decade, it is important to know the ministry’s 2020 plans for national security and the welfare of the armed forces and veterans.

He said military affairs were only mentioned four times in the Budget 2020, without clear initiatives.

He added security measures in Sabah need to be improved as the state is in close proximity to the Sulu Sea, an area where kidnapping is rampant, especially carried out by Abu Sayyaf whose base is on Mindanao island.

“The government does not have much options but to carry out more security initiatives in Sabah. It cannot be calculated in terms of allocation. Let’s not put the security of Sabahans in jeopardy,” he said while listing the security measures taken by the ministry under his leadership before Pakatan Harapan took over the government last year.

“Similarly for Sarawak, there seems to be a lack of plans on stepping up security measures.

“I urge the Pakatan Harapan government to continue the initiatives by the previous government and improve those that are already in place.”

Hishammuddin said the matter of security goes beyond the strength of assets, as Malaysia has embarked on trilateral efforts with the Philippines and Indonesia in guarding the Sulu Sea.

It also ties to efforts of defence diplomacy with bigger forces such as the United States and China, he added.

He said housing and Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT) dividends have to be taken care of as it will impact the morale of the armed forces.

Barisan Nasional has been able to pay high dividends LTAT, but it is no longer the case, he said while referring to the 2% dividend declared by the previous administration.

Hishammuddin said although Mohamad needs time to adapt to the job, many of the ministry’s officials are equipped with years of experience.  

“They need leadership and direction. They need a clear direction. It doesn’t matter if he lacks experience, the ministry can operate and the allocations utilised.” – October 22, 2019.