‘Spend millions on schools, not submarines’

A coalition of NGOs submit a memorandum to the Defence Ministry, urging it to slash its spending on weapons so that the money can be put to better use.

KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) chairman Nasir Hashim slammed the Defence Ministry for its reckless arms spending, saying the money could be used for social issues rather than attempting to one-up neighbouring Asean nations.

“It can be used for schools and social problems. The allocation for defence goes beyond what is stated in the 10th Malaysia Plan,” he said.

Nasir was speaking to reporters before a coalition of NGOs handed a memorandum to Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi protesting the excessive military spending in conjunction with the first Global Day of Action.

The Global Day of Action, coordinated by the International Peace Bureau and the Institute for Policy Studies, calls for people from all continents to join together and draw public and political attention to the costs of military spending and the need for new priorities.

The NGO coalition comprised 26 different groups, including Suaram, Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia (SABM) , Parti Socialis Malaysia, and Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat (Komas).

Suaram director Kua Kia Soong flayed the government over its spending tactics, questioning why more pressing social problems went unsolved.

“In East Malaysia, there are 600 schools in critical condition. It takes RM1 million to build a school. That’s RM600 million. Last week, the ministry announced it will be spending RM700 million on new guns.

“The arms race is uncalled for and the money should be spent on social services and food,” he said.

Screwed-up funds

Kua also explained that spending on defence and internal security was up by 6%, as opposed to 1% for health, calling the allocation of funds “screwed-up.”

He urged the public, the government and the media to heed the call of “food, not bombs. Schools, not submarines; and health, not Hornets.”

Kua then handed the memorandum to Shahbudin Ibrahim, the ministry’s finance division secretary, who promised to look into the matter.

The memorandum called for a minimisation of the defence budget throughout Asean countries, in order to channel these resources into urgently needed social services and socially useful production.

“Wasting money on arms prevents it from being spent on health, education, clean water and other public services. It also distorts the economy and diverts resources such as skilled labour and R&D away from alternative economic activity,” read the memorandum.

The memorandum also called for greater democracy and a culture of peace, which could only be obtained through “profound reformation.”

The total security allocation under the 10th Malaysia Plan was RM23 billion, and had reached heights such as 15.9% (during the 3rd Malaysia Plan), whereas health allocation plunged to as low as 1% (under the 5th Malaysia Plan).

Malaysia was one of East Asia’s foremost developers in military industries, sharing the pedestal with China, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand.