Thursday, April 22, 2010

BILLIONS IN DEFENCE DEAL CLINCHED AT DSA 2010

Billions in defence deal was concluded by the Malaysian government on behalf of the MAF at DSA 2010. One must be reminded that the signatory to any major defence purchase agreement will be signed by the Ministry’s KSU on behalf of the government, with the respective service chiefs merely witnessing the signing ceremony. This translates into the awesome power that the KSU has with regards to all major capital acquisitions for the Armed Forces. And with this too, the public has to be forgiven if they perceive that with every signing, there is the accompanying largess that is attached to it. Such a perception I think was non existence in the 60’s and 70’s, and even if there was, the amount was too little to arouse public suspicion. I will always have my highest respect and regards to the top civil servants of the past who presented themselves with dignity, integrity and honour.

Here, I would like to touch on two deals that have attracted my attention as follows.

Firstly, it appears that the Eurocopter EC725 deal as a replacement for the aging RMAF Sikorsky S-61 (Nuri) helicopters is about to be sealed (NST Online dated April 19, 2010). The costs for an initial six helicopters is said to be in excess of RM1.6 billion. I am told that the RMAF will eventually acquire a total of 12 such helicopters.

With the announcement by the Defence Minister at the opening of DSA 2010, puts to rest the long and much awaited decision that was hotly debated among defence watchers, as well as among the opposition parliamentarians. There will surely be those who are dead against such an acquisition, for reasons best known to them. I am quite sure arguments against this purchase will continue even after the Letter of Award has been successfully concluded.

The helicopter being French manufactured may arouse in the minds of Malaysians that this will be another submarine deal. Hopefully it is not. I am told that kickbacks among French defence manufacturers offered to clients are quite common. Not having anything to do with defence sales, I am not quite sure who is the appointed agent for Eurocopter in Malaysia, and I don’t really care because I do not represent any foreign helicopter companies here.

But my concern and the concern of most Malaysians are that, whatever is being acquired for defence should not be compromise in terms of its quality and the justifications for which it was acquired. Like the Nuri helicopters, it was indeed a worthy acquisition and it has served its useful life and has provided exemplary service to the Armed Forces. Defence purchases are associated with the security of the nation, as well as it affects the lives of our soldiers, and this cannot be compromised. Hence, should there be a bad decision in defence acquisition; the authorities/person(s) making such a decision ought to be send to the gallows, or at least be made responsible.

Secondly, I note too that a decision has also been made for the acquisition of an 8 x 8 Amoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) from Turkey to replace the Sigmas. FNSS the manufacturer of the AFV will be collaborating with a local company to manufacture the vehicle locally, which is an excellent proposition. However, questions has been raised as to why does the army need an 8 x 8 AFV that is far too heavy for deployment in the Malaysian terrain. The experience of the Sigmas on military exercises clearly points out the weaknesses of deployment and employment of such vehicles in our terrain environment. Compared to the Sigmas which is a 16 ton vehicle; the weight of the 8 x 8 AFV ranges from 18 tons to 26 tons, and at this weight, the vehicle will sink in most of our terrain. Certainly, deploying them in dry padi land and oil palm/rubber estates is out of the question. So where will these heavy leaden vehicles be deployed, if it is not along the main highways and on firm tracks/roads which will make them easy targets. I am not quite sure what weapon systems will be installed in the vehicle. Hopefully, it is not another French or a South African manufactured weapon system; the latter I am told is a strong contender with super powerful links with the army’s top brass. Surely, the army does not want to be saddled with a similar problem faced by the primary weapons of the Scorpion AFV and similarly the Sibmas, where there are difficulties in traversing the primary gun.

I am not a military tactician, but certainly I do not agree with the army acquiring large, heavy and cumbersome armoured vehicles simply because our terrain inhibits the deployment of such vehicles. What the army should be looking at are lightweight armoured vehicles, but equipped with sufficient fire power, is highly mobile and easy to maintain. These are lessons that army officers learn at their military colleges, but why have they failed to put such lessons into practice. This being the case, I am therefore of the opinion that the army’s acquisitions are based on the principles of ‘the larger and the costlier the acquisition, the better it is’.

I want to be proven wrong for my adverse remarks on the acquisition of the 8 x 8 AFV for the Malaysian Army, and I will only be too glad to be invited to witness the deployment and employment of the 8 x 8 AFV on any army exercise, whenever there is one.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

22 comments:

FMZam said...

Bukan kah aku sudah bilang, sebelum hantu raya tu berambus dari askar, pakej 8 x 8 tu akan dimeterai perjanjiannya? Masih ingat kah anda perbincangan atas tajuk seorang jeneral malaun kita yang bikin ratus juta tu?

Rockybru said...

FMZam,

Toksah cakap kedai kopi saja, pergi buat report polis. Ataupun bagi story kat newspaper yang berani expose benda2 cam ni.

By the way, to the blog owner, thank you for your latest comment on my blog. I have responded. I think you were rather too hasty in judging my posting. Thank you.

FMZam said...

Rocky Bru,

Kira OK lah tu kalau sampai depa terpaksa hantar kau untuk layan aku, terima kasihlah atas penghormatan ini.

FMZam said...

Dear Dato' Arshad,

Rocky Bru boleh kata apa saja pada Dato' dalam blog dia sampai dia sindir Dato' dengan akhiran "...I thought an ex-army officer would have been more careful ...dia jangan lupa yang dia tu sejak bila careful bila menulis, kalau apa yang dia tulis itu hanya untuk kepentingan BN dan kerana dia blogger upahan BN. Dan blog dia tu suratkahabar sangat ke yang dia dok mengata kenapa tak dia buat report atau bagi kat suratkahabr BN yang pasti akan segera dimuatkan dalam akhbar, maklumlah BN.

FMZam said...

And Dato' Arshad,

Tak payah lagi Dato' masuk blog Rocky Bru tu kalau Dato' hanya jadi macam kunang2 yang dikerumuni monyet2 BN yang tak tahu menilai cahaya dan akhirnya Dato' juga yang dikecai2kan oleh monyet2 BN tu. Cukuplah Dato layan blog Dato' ni saja. Kalau Rocky Bru nak masuk blog ni, itu satu penghormatan pada Dato'.

Mohd Arshad Raji said...

Dear Rocky's Bru,

I was once an avid reader of your blog, but of recent times you have changed your 'kiblat'. I am not saying that it is wrong, because kibat kita pun pernah berubah.

Just say what you want in your blog and I say what I want in mine. I am old and experience enough to think rationally and I think, I have been consistent.

Anonymous said...

Sdr FMZam,
Mamat Rocky tu pernah masuk askar ke? Kalau tak pernah suruh dia diam diam aje.

ucis said...

Dear FMZam,Salam Hormat (keluar topik sikit)If it is true that you are the Engr Officer that I know of,I have a very high respect for you for your courages of leading your BCT being winched down by Nuri to clear an old LP in one of the 803 Bravo Ops area back in late 70s.Coincidently the BM of 10 Bde then was Maj Micheal Tan an Engr officer.You should be proud of yourself for being one of the Engr Officers who had served well for the nation in fighting the CTs. By the way being a Sandhurst trained ,I just wonder why you left yhe svc early.If I am not mistaken you are same intake with Gen Zulkifli Zain.Anyway pse forgive me if whatever written above are incorrect

FMZam said...

Adik WaliMuo,

Rocky Bru tu wartawan semiactive semiretired, itu kata dia dalam blog dia, bukalah. Dan dia tu macam2 ada jawatan, salah satu ialah President of National Press Club (NPC). Blog dia blog BN, bila dia mengutuk Zaid Ibrahim, dia langsung tak pandang yang Zaid tu jujur sanggup mengaku dan Zaid dah bertaubat dan dah naik haji, macam tu ke seorang Islam Rocky Bru ni?

Tu yang pemimpin2 UMNO didedahkan masih lagi kaki minum, kaki judi, kaki pompuan, Rocky Bru tak kata apa pun, dia tetap kutuk Zaid. Tapi aku tak heranlah sebab Rocky Bru tu kan President NPC. Kalau kau lalu kat kelab NPC malam2 dan kau masuklah tengok kat dalam tu penuh dengan wartawan2 dan kadang2 polis (NPC tu sebelah Bukit Aman) ramai2 mabuk aje kerjanya. Jadi Rocky Bru tu president kelab tu tak kan tak tau kot yang NPC ada presiden Melayu dan ahli2nya kaki mabuk.

Malas nak cakap lah kenapa agaknya NPC angkat dia jadi presiden? Yang aku tau di NPC tu , bar dia siap ada karaoke dan ahli2 dia bila dah high selalu suka nyanyi satu lagu yang paling popular. lagu tu ialah "Living next door to Alice" yang dah diubah sikit bila semua orang boleh nyanyi ramai2 dengan kuat tiba bab " Alice?, who the fuck is Alice?".

Kau orang jangan heran macamana aku ni bekas askar dan bukan wartawan, bukan polis dan bukan ada kerja pun, tapi boleh tau tentang ni semua?

FMZam said...

Dear ucis sir,

I have never cared to put myself in the my real frame, all these while I let you all put me as what you all have been putting the way you all wanted me to be, because in blog, as I always consistently maintain, in blog we are not what we say we are but what we write. Who we are is not important.

In this blog I see soldiers of all sorts of military experiences, when they write and started telling their experience, suddenly I realise I have been a part of their life. I might have been flown in and out of the jungle Kroh, Gerik, Banding by our Capt Longhouse. I might have planted booby traps for the Naga Belt with some of you infantriers as my BLT Protection Team commander. I might have fought with some of you in Selamat Sawadee as your BCT team. I might have built so many LPs and LZs so that Capt Longhouse could land his chopper and our troops could get resupplied to live another month in the jungle. I might have walked the length and breadth of the jungle from Jeli to Banding and to Bukit Kobeh with some infantry officers whom I now have to face off for this crusade against corruption. I too share the memories of your memories because we are part of it.

I thank you for your good words but maybe I am not good at taking praises so I just want to say I know that good man Mej Michael Tan I am so sorry I have to burn one LP to force the chopper to land on my choice LP but my dying infantry protection men were dying from boobytrap wounds and needed the medevac very badly.

Yes I am FMZam, that sappers officer you said, except that Zul Mat Zain was Regular intake 17, I was intake 16.

Thanks for reminding me.

ucis said...

Dear FMZam,
Thank you for responding.May ALLAH blessed you always.I was one of the so called Station Store Officers of 10 Bde Tac Hq.

Capt's Longhouse said...

dato,

,,,if am not mistaken, the cost for the police helicopters too were more than double its standard price in the open market !. Sure, there are hundreds of cost justifications but in fact, its all part of corruption plus cover-ups by both the buyer and seller.
,,,unfortunately, the 'corruption culture' is everywhere and it is a bloody shame that most of our so called political leadership apparently has their dirty fingers in all of these direct purchase dealings. Somehow by hook or by crook !.
,,,in fact,most of them lack strong guiding principles, values, charecter and integrity. I really hope that we will get new leadership with such honest guiding principles to lead the nation after this coming GE 13.
,,,so lets all of us focus on the coming GE 13 ?. We have to start educating the voters yaa !. Time is running real short. Do think seriously about it and come up with a strategy for deliberation. Am sure we can pick the brains from many too. Would like to hear yours Dato.

Regards,
Tok Uban.

komando said...

REVOLUTION...

maurice said...

Dato,

You spoke too soon.

South Africa has been chosen to provide the 30mm turret and the missile system.

Thales of France the integrator of the Fire Control System.

FNSS of Turkey to build the body of the 8x8 and prototype model.

Deftech the local asembly for delivery to the Army.

You know what? The local agent for Daniel and Thales are the same group of people who are reportedly close to the military decison-maker!

Anonymous said...

Sdr FMZam,
Thanks for the info,kalau macam tu suruh Rocky tu main jauh jauh buat menyemak aje.Ni blog askar askar pencen yang pernah minum air stokin aje.Yang menyebok buat ape....(Aku yang syok bila Mat Jo wakeup Kedet masa kawad kat RMC sebab Minah Mes Pegawai sudah lalu depan kedet........kah Kah Kah ....ingat tak FMZAm).

FMZam said...

WaliMuo....he..he..he..Mula2 Cik Mat Joe wake up tapi dah kalau hari2 minah tu asyik lalu aje, Cik Mat Joe pun apa lagi terus bagi...belakanggggggg pusing...kadet lain semua pusing, tapi ada jugak dua tiga ekor yang tak belakang pusing....ha..ha..ha..Cik Mat Joe nak marah hapa, dia geleng2 kepala dan tergelak ajelah....

Ampun Dato', tak leh tahan bila WaliMuo ni sebut nama RSM Mat Joe.

Firdaus Omar said...

FMZam On Rocky's Bru,

Mengikut gaya Mahfuz Omar...

"Tuuuuu dia...macam tu sekali...baru tau na...ish ish..!!"

He he...

FMZam said...

Sdr Firdaus Omar,

Kita hidup ni sekali, kita mungkin buat jahat banyak kali tapi itu bukan sebab untuk kita tidak boleh buat baik walau untuk sekali. Jalan ke neraka itu diturap dengan niat baik. Salam, selamat malam Bang Nan.

komando said...

The late RSM MAT JOE - is a legend..we remember him for all the good things this man taught us..

He reminded all of us Cadets to become: "officers and gentleman"

So what we have today are sweet memories of a great TOK GURU!

al-fatihah....amin

Akuromeo said...

Listen to Old Bean here

We are the young millennium generation just wanna to tell all of you.. all of u are gobbish

FMZam said...

EngkoRomeo,

If Gobbish is harmful to you that's because you're KOBISH.

Unknown said...

testing before the war