PETALING JAYA: Weak governance and reckless spending by the navy led to the wastage of RM384.49 million in spare parts, according to defence analysts.
Mizan Aslam of the Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia said the large amount of wastage suggested that the procurement of the spare parts was not properly carried out.
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“Either the purchases were not necessary or too much was bought, which led to them becoming obsolete today,” he told FMT.
The 2024 auditor-general’s report yesterday revealed that the navy did not use the RM384.49 million worth of spare parts. In some cases, equipment on ships had been swapped and changed with parts from other manufacturers.
It also found that the wasted spares dated from 1969 to as recently as 2021.
Mizan also questioned whether inaccurate information was given to suppliers about what was needed, leading to the wastage.
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He said the enforcement agencies will need to step in to scrutinise if there’s any element of corruption involved in the procurements and if so, stern action is necessary to prevent the wastage from recurring.
Maritime affairs and law expert Salawati Mat Basir suggested that the purchases may not have been aligned with actual needs.
“They were not used because they were unsuitable with the existing ships,” she said. “These purchases did not benefit the navy but only profited certain brokers and companies.”
She said if the parts were not suitable, the maintenance schedule of the ships would be affected too.
Salawati, a lecturer with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, hoped the government, which underscores strong governance, would haul the culprits to court if there is found to be corruption in the procurement of the spare parts.
Another defence analyst, Fuad Mat Noor, said the navy’s “#15to5” transformation plan may have contributed to the problem as it seeks to reduce the types of ships in the fleet.
The #15to5 transformation plan, launched in 2015, aims to reduce the navy’s 15 classes of vessels to five categories by 2050. The five categories are the new generation patrol vessels, the littoral combat ship, submarines, littoral mission ship, and multi role support ship.
Fuad said reduction in the number of classes would make it difficult to reuse the spare parts for other ships, as refitting would require extra machinery and expertise.
