'If it affects national security, I give no apologies'

Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said he would make no apologies for Malaysia’s drop in the Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index if it had been affected by measures to protect national security. 

However, he said he has yet to study the report though he is aware of its findings, and will be looking to it for possible improvements that can be made. 

“I’ll have to study the terms that they use. We want to benchmark internationally, but at the end of the day let’s see what it is. 

“If it is a question of transparency that would affect national security, I give no apologies,” he told a press conference today. 

Hishammuddin was responding to a reporter’s questions on Malaysia’s drop in ranking from having a “high” risk of corruption in defence spending and operations, to “very high risk”, according to Transparency International.

In its report today, the corruption watchdog had said that arguments that defence buys should be kept under wraps for security reasons do not hold water as countries which are superior militarily are ranked among the lowest in corruption risks. 

These include the UK, Australia and Germany that are rates as “very low” corruption risk countries, while South Korea, Austria, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom and United States ranked as “low” corruption risk countries. 

The NGO’s Malaysian charter also issued a statement today warning that poor transparency in defence matters not only leads to corruption, but also purchases of outdated equipment, which in turn could cost lives.