KUALA LUMPUR -- Asean countries should cut spending on buying foreign defence assets, said Defence Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He noted that Asean countries spent a hefty US$25 billion annually to acquire defence assets and proposed that they should instead develop their own arms.
"Let the money be spent within Asean countries and not outside the region," he told a media conference here today after attending the Defence Ministry's ministry assembly here yesterday.
Also present were his deputy Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad, the ministry's secretary-general Dr Ismail Ahmad and Armed Forces Chief Gen Zulkifeli Mohd Zin.
In 2009, Zahid had proposed the setting up of the Asean Defence Industry Collaboration (ADIC) to reduce asset imports from countries outside Asean and foreign exchange liquidity and for Asean to be self-reliant by producing its own defence assets.
The proposal is still at the concept stage although it had been approved during the Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 19 last year.
Zahid said the call to cut defence spending was in line with the Asean spirit which did not desire an arms race among member countries.
On the Defence exhibition in Singapore this month, he said Malaysia would be participating by sending an MIG-29N jetfighter to the show as an appreciation for the republic's participation in the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (Lima) 2011.
Zahid said such exhibition reflected healthy collaboration among Asean countries besides boosting the region's defence economic sector.
Earlier in his address, Zahid said his ministry held a briefing on Jan 19 for Barisan Nasional (BN) and opposition elected representatives on the country's defence policies and assets acquisition.
"It is important for the people to know rather than be influenced by allegations through the media and political talks by the opposition," he said.
