New Defense market report from Business Monitor International: "Malaysia Defence & Security Report Q4 2013"

Boston, MA -- (SBWire) -- 09/26/2013 --BMI View: Malaysia's general election in May 2013 passed off peacefully, and did not result - as some predicted - in an historic win for the opposition. The long-ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, led by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his United Malays National Organisation, thus remain in office, although BN supporters were disappointed that Najib failed to restore the large parliamentary majority that the party once enjoyed. If Najib's position is not yet completely secure ahead of internal UMNO elections in October, fears that we might see a Malaysian version of the Arab Spring now appear unfounded.

Malaysia's security situation remains generally benign. The country's relations with neighbours Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia are cordial, and China's territorial disputes with a number of countries in the region has so far had relatively little impact on Malaysia. However, two events in 2013 have caused concern. One was China's decision to send an amphibious fleet to James Shoal, the southernmost point of a maritime territory in the South China Sea that is claimed by China - an area lying close to the East Malaysian coast. Until now, Malaysia has played down the threat of Chinese expansionism; however, this episode is causing some in Kuala Lumpur to re-evaluate China's growing military presence in the region. More promising, however, was China's belated agreement in July 2013 to start discussing the terms of a new Code of Conduct to regulate government behaviour in the South China Sea, something widely regarded as essential for avoiding unintended conflict in the future.

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The second incident was the invasion of an area of Sabah in East Malaysia by around 100 armed men, who claimed the territory on behalf of the Sulu Sultanate (the Sulu Archipelago now being a part of the Philippines). The action resulted in an assault on the area by the Malaysian military, which left at least 31 of the militants dead. It also strained Malaysian-Philippine relations, and may have implications for the ongoing peace process in the southern Philippines. Although there is every reason to hope that this strange event was a one-off, the government has established a new East Sabah Security Zone (ESSZONE), while the military is boosting its presence and its capabilities in the affected area.

Major defence procurements were put on hold in the months preceding the election, but these are now expected to resume in the second half of the year. A new defence minister, Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein - a cousin of Prime Minister Najib - is now in place following the election; his arrival should lend new impetus to Malaysia's defence programmes.

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