Mat Sabu wants at least 1pct of GDP for defence spending
Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu expressed hope that his ministry would be allocated at least one percent of the nation’s GPD each year.
He said this at a press conference after tabling the Defence White Paper in the Dewan Rakyat today...
Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu expressed hope that his ministry would be allocated at least one percent of the nation’s GPD each year.
He said this at a press conference after tabling the Defence White Paper in the Dewan Rakyat today.
“We want one percent of the GDP each year, at least. We have already made projections for the 12th and 13th Malaysia Plans. We’re asking for more,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby.
For comparison, Malaysia’s GDP in 2018 is RM1.45 trillion. The Defence Ministry is allocated RM15.6 billion, which is 1.07 percent of the 2018 GDP.
The figure is expected to be smaller when compared to the 2020 GDP as the GDP is expected to grow.
Mohamad noted that even the opposition supports his ministry’s request for a larger budget.
As for the opposition’s criticism that the Defence White Paper lacked specific details, Mohamad countered that not everything related to his ministry can be made public.
This is especially the case when it pertains to defence assets being procured.
“Of course, we cannot reveal everything to the public but we will discuss it in closed-door sessions.
“Just now, even the opposition there needs to be two – one for the public, and one for the military,” he said when asked.
Earlier in the Parliament chambers, Mohamad’s predecessor Hishammuddin Hussein criticised that the document lacked details on how defence assets would be developed or procured, and amounted to a mere “wish list”.
He said more details would be needed to instil confidence in members of the public and the military.
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