Striking a balance

Abstract

Given escalating security threats but continuing economic concerns and political turbulence, the Malaysian government's bid to modernise the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) is proving to be a signifi-cant challenge. In the past few years a number of major procurement programmes - most notably the Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF's) multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) programme - have stalled as defense spending has been tightened amid a slowing national economy and a tense political landscape. In this sense it can be argued that the 10th Malaysian Plan (2011-15) did not fulfil the ambitions of the MAF. which is channelling modernisation through its Fourth Dimension Development Plan (4D-MAF) in order to enhance capability to respond to threats such as China's growing assertiveness. maritime piracy. Islamic insurgency, and incursions by militant Filipino groups. However, the 11th Malaysia Plan (2016- 20), published in May 2015, includes no notable priority for military modernisation, suggesting that many big-ticket military requirements are likely to continue to be shelved while the country's economy remains constrained and the political landscape unstable following a long-running corruption scandal that focused on Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was cleared of wrongdoing in late January. Tim Huxley, executive director of the International institute for Strategic Studies (Asia) in Singapore, said the prospect for a committed push to modernise the MAF within the 11th Malaysia Plan would he determined by the government's response to a number of factors. "Malaysia is going through political turmoil that is unlikely to end in the medium term, he said. "The prime minister has been and will continue to be under a real challenge, so in this context there is a lot of pressure on the government to prioritise social programmes, and defence doesn't really fit into that. The other factor is China and the South China Sea. The question is how seriously will this concern feed into Malaysia's defense planning, and will Malaysia make real efforts to develop the sort of capability that would deter China.