PORT KLANG, Sept 3 — Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the defence expenditure for next year was expected to be lower than this year because of the country’s economic situation.
Despite the drop in the defence budget, the ministry would continue to make replacement purchases, he told reporters at the ceremony to welcome the arrival of Malaysia’s first submarine, KD Tunku Abdul Rahman (KD TAR), at the KD Sultan Abdul Aziz jetty, here, today.
On the government’s purchase of two Scorpene submarines, he said it was a wish fulfilled for the Malaysian armed forces which had suggested the idea of acquiring the assets 25 years ago. Ahmad Zahid said the purchase of the submarines had been discussed since the Fifth Malaysia Plan and was only realised at the end of the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
The important thing was that the purchase of these submarines complemented the country’s defence requirements, he added.
He congratulated the Royal Malaysian Navy for its success in acquiring the submarine, and its crew who underwent a four-year training in France.
He said KD TAR would not only boost RMN’s presence in the South China Sea, but also the Indian Ocean, adding that the submarine would also be used in joint military exercise with neighbouring countries.
RMN Commander Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar said the submarine would arrive at its base in Teluk Sepanggar, Kota Kinabalu, on Sept 17. — Bernama
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