Thomas Daniel was quoted in the Straits Times, 20 December 2024
By Lu Wei Hoong
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will strengthen its navy and air force to safeguard territorial waters, including the South China Sea, while keeping diplomatic channels open with stakeholder countries, said Malaysia’s National Security Council (NSC) director-general Raja Nushirwan Zainal Abidin.
He was speaking to 300 delegates, including diplomats, military personnel and academics, at the Maritime Institute of Malaysia South China Sea Conference 2024 in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 18.
Datuk Raja Nushirwan said NSC will develop a new national security policy to reaffirm Malaysia’s status as a maritime nation.
It will be based on the Malaysia Defence White Paper 2019, which focused on building a larger navy and air force, a priority that has not been emphasised in the past, he said.
“In the years to come, I hope and expect that the Malaysian government will be spending more on our maritime assets, involving the navy, coast guard and air force.
“In this regard, I wish to assure all that this is merely to bring our capabilities up to a standard required to do all we can to secure our maritime domain. After all, one cannot become a maritime nation if one cannot secure our maritime domain. It is certainly not an expression of assertiveness.
“We recognise fully that as the only nation that sits astride both the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea, were we to spend, say, 4 per cent to 5 per cent (of gross domestic product) on defence, we would set off alarm bells in the region and thus add a further layer of complication that we do not need.”
Malaysia has allocated RM21.1 billion (S$6.4 billion) for the Defence Ministry in the 2025 budget, which is 1 per cent of the projected GDP in 2024 at RM1.98 trillion.
As Asean chair in 2025, Malaysia will champion the region’s independence while fostering cooperation and trust, Mr Raja Nushirwan added.
He noted that Malaysia favours dialogue and diplomacy over force to resolve disputes in the contested waters, saying: “Our position remains clear. Disputes must be addressed peacefully through existing platforms and diplomatic channels. Malaysia firmly opposes any escalation of tensions or the use of force, as reaffirmed by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.”
China and several Asean member states, including Malaysia, have long-running disputes over their overlapping claims to parts of the South China Sea.
Beijing has demanded Kuala Lumpur halt oil and gas exploration near the Luconia Shoals, 100km off the East Malaysian state of Sarawak, according to a leaked diplomatic note from a Philippine news outlet in August.
In response, Datuk Seri Anwar insisted on maintaining drilling activities, while stressing in September that Sino-Malaysian ties remained strong.
In October, Malaysia, led by Mr Raja Nushirwan, and China, led by Vice-Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong, held their first bilateral dialogue on “practical cooperation” on the South China Sea.
Dr Lam Choong Wah, a defence expert in international and strategic studies at Universiti Malaya, said most of the country’s current naval assets have gone beyond their maximum life span of 30 years.
He added that the replacement of current navy assets – such as 46-year-old Handalan-class missile boats, 44-year-old Sri Indera Sakti-class support ships and 40-year-old Kasturi-class corvettes – with a new batch of warships is imminent, to assert Malaysia’s naval power.
This is evident in the increased asset procurement budget for the navy and air force since the launch of the Defence White Paper 2019.
“The navy asset procurement has been increased to RM2.1 billion in the 2025 budget, doubling from RM972 million in the 2020 budget, while air force asset procurement has been increased to RM2.21 billion in the 2025 budget, a fivefold increase from RM400 million in the 2020 budget,” Dr Lam told The Straits Times.
According to various reports, 18 littoral mission ships, six littoral combat ships and two multipurpose support ships are in the pipeline for the navy.
For the air force, 36 FA-50 light combat aircraft, two ATR 72 maritime patrol aircraft and Kuwaiti Air Force F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets are potential acquisitions to replace the retired MiG-29N fighters.
Despite the modernisation effort, Malaysia still has vast maritime challenges covering the Strait of Malacca, South China Sea and Sulu Sea, said Mr Thomas Daniel, senior fellow at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia.
“Even if we had all the vessels, it would be only a minimal level of deterrence. Malaysia’s maritime security challenges go beyond the South China Sea territorial dispute.
“They include piracy, militants and kidnap-for-ransom gangs, illegal foreign fishing fleets, assorted maritime crime and irregular migrants,” Mr Daniel told ST.
“What we need are vessels with the ability to stay out at sea for longer periods of time without returning frequently for repairs and resupply.
“Domain awareness is another crucial component of deterrence, which is now only being built up, slowly.”
This article first published in the Straits Times, 20 December 2024
