COMMENT | With the nation battling the pandemic and trying to recover from the economic slowdown, Budget 2021 must spend prudently to ensure that the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) is properly equipped to defend Malaysia from our present and future challenges.

It is understandable that healthcare and social protection will be the main focus of this year’s budget, given the direct effects of the virus crisis on livelihoods and health.

However, we must remember that the existing budget is already underfunding the MAF’s core obligatory operations, notwithstanding commitments to increase readiness, capabilities, and expanded operational demands due to the pandemic.

It is important to remember that amid the pandemic, Malaysia continues to face other national security concerns that persist, such as the increasing tensions in the South China Sea, a fluid security situation in Sabah with the ongoing kidnap-for-ransom activities in the Sulu Sea, as well as the claim staked by the Philippines.

As defence planning is a long, multi-year process, failure to invest in the future of our national defence will have opportunity costs that will not serve the nation’s interests in the long run. With strained national resources, it is important for us to maximise the value of a limited budget with proper prioritisation and good stewardship of money...