The recent debate for and against the purchase of defence equipment following the governments announcement that it will increase defence spending has prompted me to wonder if it could be a source of corruption.

Defence contracts and arm purchases are one of the easiest way to abuse budgetary allocation. From the US to Indonesia and even Japan, there have been allegations of defence contract abuses by politicians and military personnel to fatten their wallets. Since all contracts are non-standard, it is easy to pad extra cost and expenses that eventually get paid into Swiss accounts belonging to those making the decision to buy.

Some Indonesian and Thai generals and ministers were alleged to have taken great advantage of the contracts to get rich. Ever wonder why they and their families live so well when their salaries are paltry? Ugly rumours have also surfaced alleging that some Malaysian figures have similarly profited from such contracts. I wonder whether the timing of the recent purchases with the financial problems of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's cronies is merely coincidental.

The government need to fully disclose the defence contracts to scrutiny by Parliament to allay public concern that the huge amount spent on the arms purchase may not be motivated by just paranoid defence scenarios but is actually a huge outflow of funds to the wrong people.