The Malaysian Insight

THE purchase of military assets will be left to the armed forces as “experts” in the field and not to ministers, said Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu said today.

Members of the executive branch would not know what is required and necessary for the military and leaving the task to the military to decide its own procurements would prevent wastage and corruption, he said.

“I will call on the air force, land or marines to know what is needed because I do not know. What we do not know, we must not act like we know. 

“Those who are experts will determine it (the buying), while we (the executive) will determine the policies. Leave the buying to the experts,” said the minister, also known as Mat Sabu, when addressing the ministry’s monthly assembly in Kuala Lumpur today.

This will curb corruption, which was rampant in the ministry under the previous administration, he said.

Ridding the ministry of corruption was one of his goals, the Amanah president said.

“I cannot say ‘buy this, don’t buy that’ because I will get a commission out of it.

“My focus is to improve the administration of procurements and finance so there can be no more misuse and weakness in these areas.”

The Kota Raja lawmaker said he has also instructed former auditor-general Ambrin Buang to form a special task force to investigate corruption in the ministry.

Scandals that have plagued the ministry include the controversial purchase of Russian helicopters and Scorpene submarines.

It was discovered in 2008 that French state-owned shipbuilding company DCNS and Thales International Asia, from which the Malaysian government purchased two Scorpene submarines for RM5 billion in 2002, earned RM570 million in commissions.

The amount was paid to a company called Perimekar Sdn Bhd controlled by Abdul Razak Baginda, a close associate of Najib Razak, who was defence minister at the time of the purchase.

Three French men linked to the case have been indicted so far. – August 28, 2018.