This book is the first serious inquiry into Malaysia’s defence policy and defence spending since Independence. It contains the A to Z of Malaysia’s arms industry and spending, from the unanswered questions surrounding the murder of Altantuya…to the high incidence of accidents involving the Sikorsky Nuri helicopters.
Kua has been monitoring the arms trade since the Seventies and what is significant about this book is that it brings together in one volume, the key issues and events connected with defence spending in Malaysia. From a range of published sources, he unearths the vested interests, corruption, wastage and negligence in arms procurement and alerts us to the growth of the domestic military-industrial complex. Malaysians are called upon to seriously consider the question of war and peace; the justifications for arms procurements; procedures of accountability and the choice of alternative socially useful production.
– Extracted from the official book release of “Questioning Arms Spending in Malaysia: From Altantuya to Zikorski“, by Dr. Kua Kia Soong, Suaram, 26 November 2010.