Was it wise to announce our ‘weakness’ to all?
Nur Jazlan should have discussed the Home Ministry’s financial shortcomings behind closed doors instead of making an open declaration to the enemies of the state.
V. Shuman, Free Malaysia Today
Having government weaknesses “leaked” is one thing. Announcing it to the whole world, specifically the enemies of the state, is quite another.
Which is why I question the wisdom in Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed telling the media recently that Malaysia’s security forces would fall short in coping with a terrorist attack, should one occur, simply because they lacked the necessary funding to do so adequately.
The New Straits Times reported Nur Jazlan as saying the government’s allocation of RM12 billion for his ministry at present was only sufficient for operational expenditures, not emergencies and any further cuts, should they occur, would be crippling.
He revealed this shocking news just days before further anticipated cuts in a recalibration of Budget 2016, while adding that his ministry would appeal that they not suffer the same fate as other ministries.
If reading the above made your jaw drop in total disbelief, you are not alone.
Here you have the second man in a ministry which oversees crucial departments like the police force, announcing to the public that the Home Ministry cannot adequately protect the people in the event of a terror attack.
More so, at a time when Malaysia is in the crosshairs of the Islamic State (IS) militant group, who recently claimed responsibility for the Jakarta bombings and shootings that shocked the world.
Does not Nur Jazlan’s announcement seem like an open invitation to terrorists who are waiting for just the right time to strike here?
