Malaysia buys latest military equipment

Malaysia buys latest military equipment

Amid the critical condition in the region, Malaysia still can buy military equipment. That ASEAN member country on Wednesday ordered British and Russian armaments worth US$364 million.

Being aware that the purchase of military equipment can arouse neighbors' suspicion, Malaysia hastily explained that the arms purchase would not stimulate a regional arms race, and was not intended to attack Singapore or any other country.

However, the tendency of following neighbors' steps has occurred in the past. When Thailand decided to buy F-16 jet fighters, Singapore and Indonesia followed the Thai's lead.

In this perspective Malaysia is really lucky. First, Malaysia has enough funds, which enables it to buy the latest armaments. Second, our neighbor is not troubled by the human rights issue, which can hamper the purchasing of arms.

Thus, Malaysia can smoothly exercise and program its defense policy. If the arms purchase is linked to a regional threat created by uncertainty in the South China Sea, for example, Malaysia has been ready to face any situation.

Undeniably, Malaysia is much luckier than Indonesia. But it is our common obligation to improve our economy to enable Indonesia to develop its armed forces properly, making the Indonesian Military (TNI) more capable of functioning properly using the latest military equipment.

-- Kompas, Jakarta