Police and army to buy more, from more local suppliers

All ministries and government agencies involved in defence and enforcement will soon be required to use products made by local companies.

Defence Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said this was decided upon at the 2/2011 meeting of the Defence Industry Council, Enforcement and Security, yesterday.

The meeting, chaired by Ahmad Zahid, was also attended by Royal MalaysianAir Force chief Rozali Daud, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar and Army deputy chief Lt Gen Wira Zulkifli Zainal Abidin.

“We’ve decided that the Defence Ministry, Home Ministry and enforcement agencies must use local products,” he told reporters after the meeting.

He said the measure could further strengthen the country’s defence system.

Ahmad Zahid said the meeting also decided that any contract to purchase equipment by the Finance Ministry must be made directly with the manufacturer, and no longer through a trading company to prevent the company from reaping high commission to the extent of burdening the manufacturer.

He said the meeting also requested the Finance Ministry to implement a central contract system to avoid competition among the defence and security industry players.

Malaysia, meanwhile, he said, had received confirmation from Asean defence ministers to implement a common standard called the Asean Standard in producing defence systems and equipment.

“Products produced by Malaysia or other Asean countries will be of the Asean Standard.

Therefore, Asean countries will not be competing among themselves but with other producing countries using the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation(NATO) Standard,” he said.

At a defence industry seminar held in Jakarta in May, Ahmad Zahid had proposed that Asean countries create the Asean Standard in the production of defence equipment and systems for successful collaboration among them.