Thursday, October 28, 2010

View From The Left Side Of The Speaker's Chair Part II

When the Government tabled its Budget for 2011 recently, the Opposition, particularly DAP also produced their version of the 2011 Budget. As usual, they promised the sun, moon and the stars and generally strove to show how efficient the public funds are to be used.

I don't give much of a damn to their overall Budget. But as Dzirhan Mahadzir pointed out, their defence allocation for 2011 was something either to be cried or laughed upon. For 2011, the Government allocated RM3.1 billion for defence - the DAP, who I believe views the defence spending as a major source of hanky-panky or that we can defend our country with harsh words proceeded to allocate RM310 MILLION. Now, I don't believe that the esteemed Mr Lim Guan Eng is on the same league with Dr Evil, who thought that a billion is more than a trillion.

Now, what can RM310 million get? According to Dzirhan, if allocated equally, each of the Service branches will get RM96 million. Translated into purchases, that may amount to:
1. Army - 30 AFVs
2. Navy - 1 Patrol Vessel (lightly armed)
3. Air Force - 1 Aermacchi M.346 training aircraft

And that's just for new purchases. And what could 30 AFVs (not MBTs I think), 1 lighty armed (probably with just one 76mm OTO Melara gun or more probably Bofors 40mm and nothing else?) and just one training aircraft do to effectively defend our country? OK, to accomodate such budget, we may not buy anything next year...fine! However, in Part I, it was stated that roughly 65% of the annual budget is allocated for day-to-day operating costs. That means, for 2011, the Armed Forces need RM2.015 billion just to pay its members; to fill fuel for its tanks, AIFVs, APCs, trucks, fighter jets, transport planes, trainers, ships; pay utility bills; maintenance costs; ammo stocks; training and other operational costs. Basically DAP said, directly or by inference, government spending is clouded by 'overpricing', 'inefficiency' and 'graft' which resulted in high costs, especially in the defence sector. Even if that is the truth, and that their public funds management is more 'effective' and 'clean', I don't think RM310 million is enough just to let the Armed Forces do their peacetime job, not to mention warfighting should the need arise.

Now, should that 'shadow' budget is the real budget, it might as well to let our Armed Forces use part of that RM310 million to buy large welcoming mats and banners with the inscription 'WELCOME INVADERS : THIS IS THE BEST WE COULD DO TO WELCOME YOU!" In World War 2, the Luftwaffe, Heer, Kriegsmarine and the Waffen-SS were effectively shackled during the last months of the war because of acute fuel shortage due to the bombing of oil producing and transportation facilities. Should a DAP-led country go to war, TUDM, TLDM and TD will unable to resist because there is practically no fuel and ammo, all because the government thinks that 10% of the average defence budget is sufficient. It also shows how idiotic those people are...in order to garner support, they simply slash the defence budget by 90% , making themselves look good, without thinking the consequences should it ever be implemented.

Dizrhan said that whilst the current (and the past) government screwed up the defence of the country pretty bad, with this shadow Budget, the Opposition actually tried to worsen (rather than better) the record!

1 comment:

Hairil Rizal said...

Never been wearing shoes but claims "I've been in your shoes before"

Haha!

Again...so very strange that people want to support them!