JASIN: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has warned that national peace should not breed complacency in defence preparedness.
He stated that world history shows many nations made grave mistakes by neglecting military discipline during peaceful periods.
“When a country is at peace and stable, people tend to assume everything is under control,“ he said at the MADANI Rakyat 2025 Programme closing ceremony.
“The focus shifts solely to the economy, education and infrastructure development, assuming all is well.”
Anwar emphasised that Malaysians must not neglect preparation, readiness and defence capability enhancement.
He highlighted the RM21.7 billion allocation to the Defence Ministry under Budget 2026 for public transparency.
“When we allocate RM21.7 billion to the Defence Ministry, some may ask: what equipment is being purchased? Which aircraft? Which tanks?” he noted.
“These are matters that can be explained by the relevant officers to the public.”
The Prime Minister appreciated Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin’s focus on discipline, procurement and armed forces personnel welfare.
He stressed that national strength extends beyond military capability to effective law enforcement.
“Just imagine, in two years, enforcement agencies have managed to recover national revenue, including from scams and illicit syndicates, amounting to RM15.5 billion,“ Anwar revealed.
“This is the people’s money, the nation’s money.”
He commended enforcement agencies including MACC, LHDN and PDRM for dismantling major syndicates and saving public funds.
The recovered billions will be channelled back to the people through schools, clinics, infrastructure and civil servant salary adjustments. – Bernama
