READING the long and never-ending litany of malfeasance, corruption and incompetence in our nation’s defence procurement in which billions has been lost is always a frightfully depressing affair.

In 1988, the British government under Margaret Thatcher signed an agreement with Malaysia where they would provide aid to fund a costly dam in Malaysia – the Pergau hydroelectric dam – in exchange for a major arms deal: two corvettes built by British shipbuilders and costing RM2.2 billion each in the amount of 20% the value of arms sales.  

The Overseas Development Administration (ODA), the UK’s development arm at the time found that the dam would not be a cost-effective way to increase Malaysia’s electrical capacity.

Several years and hundreds of millions of pounds later, the High Court in UK ruled that the agreement was unlawful, setting the tone for tighter scrutiny of British aid programmes.

While the mainstream press in Malaysia published hardly anything on the ‘Arms for Aid’ scandal, the press in the UK levelled allegations of corruption at the Malaysian government, which retaliated with a ‘Buy British Last’ policy in 1994.

Meanwhile, from 1968 to 1997, Nuri helicopter crashes claimed 73 lives in all.

From 1970 to 1995, four De Havilland Caribou aircraft crashes killed at least 17 servicemen. Then a Super Puma helicopter crashed in January 1994, killing four crew members.

It was the 15th crash involving RMAF aircraft since 1990. Five involved the Pilatus PC-7 basic training aircraft; four were A-4PTM Skyhawk fighter bombers. The other incidents included the Alouette III helicopter, the Cessna 402 aircraft, a Nuri helicopter and Hercules C-130 transport aircraft.

It was remarked publicly that we have lost more aircraft and pilots through accidents than through combat.

In 2002, the government sealed a RM3.7 billion deal to buy three French submarines: two new Scorpene-class submarines and an overhauled ex-French navy submarine, the Agosta 70.

Under the deal, France would buy RM819 million of Malaysian palm oil, RM327 million of other commodities, and invest RM491 million in training and technology transfer to local firms here.

This scandal factored in the French presidential elections in 2012, and the Malaysian general elections of the same year, where it was alleged the French contractors bribed Malaysian and French officials alike.

Despite the auditor-general stating that PSC had never built anything but trawlers or police boats, it was contracted to deliver six patrol boats for the Malaysian Navy in 2004 and complete the delivery in 2007.

They were supposed to be the first of 27 offshore vessels ultimately to cost RM24 billion, plus the right to maintain and repair all of the country’s naval craft.

However, only two vessels had been delivered by mid-2006. There were 298 recorded complaints about the two boats, which were also found to have 100 and 383 uncompleted items aboard them respectively.

The original RM5.35 billion contract had increased to RM6.75 billion by January 2007.

The auditor-general also reported that the ministry had paid out RM4.26 billion by December 2006, although only RM2.87 billion of work had been done.

In addition, Malaysia’s cabinet waived late penalties of RM214 million.

From December 1999, the auditor-general noted 14 “progress payments” amounting to RM943 million despite the fact that there were no payment vouchers or documentation as such.

In December 2007, two J8521-type engines used on F5 fighter jets, for which the government allegedly paid RM303,570 – were reported stolen from the Kuala Lumpur RMAF Material Processing Shed.

The engines were later traced to Uruguay, while those charged with the theft were acquitted because the prosecution had failed to prove its case.

In 2015, to replace the Nuri helicopters, the government announced the purchase of six Boeing MD530G aircraft for RM300 million.

The helicopters were slated to be delivered in two batches: the first two by July 2017, with the other four scheduled to arrive by December 2018.

Despite paying 35% of the contract value, the helicopters were not delivered. After much delay, they finally arrived in February 2022. No mention was made about payment.

Those tasked with protecting the security of this country are always the victim of one procurement disaster after another.

The above were just a short chronicle of publicly known records of negligence, non-accountability and non-integration in the Malaysian defence sector through the years.

Besides having to pay an exorbitant military budget through the years, the human casualties and the loss of these very expensive equipment are not acceptable.

Aside from the tragic loss of life, you wonder if we have been shortchanged by the arms suppliers, or if there have been compromises on the price and quality of the equipment, or even if we have adequately trained personnel to use it.

Of course, the quality of management and system of accountability have been called into question often enough in the armed forces.

It has become so commonplace that even the public has become blasé about it, but we cannot afford to just roll our eyes, mutter under our collective breath and move on; it is, after all, our money that is being plundered.

At the end of the day, having spent billions on defence, the country is left with aircraft that cannot fly, submarines that have problems diving, and ships that exist only on paper.

What is the point in tabling grandiose white papers on defence when we cannot even keep our air and naval assets operational, and cannot properly manage the acquisition of needed assets?

Here’s the amazing thing: despite the corruption, mismanagement, malfeasance and incompetence involved, despite the annual auditor-general’s reports and the findings of the Public Accounts Committee, not a single politician, senior general, senior civil servant or CEO has ever been taken to task, let alone charged, for malfeasance, corruption or dereliction of duty.

The government seems more interested in protecting and helping out cronies than in safeguarding the interests of the nation and giving our men and women in uniform the equipment and support they deserve.

Is the LCS fiasco the last defence procurement scandal? Even a seasoned gambler will not bet on it. – August 15, 2022.

* FLK reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.