KUALA LUMPUR: Greater transparency in defence and military spending is needed to curb corruption, enhance accountability and foster civic engagement within the sector.
Transparency International Malaysia (TI-Malaysia) said this follows the publication of a report by Transparency International Defence and Security (TI-DS) titled Unlocking Access: Balancing National Security and Transparency in Defence.
The report, it said, examines the challenges and best practices in fostering transparency in defence budgets, procurement, and policymaking, using case studies from Armenia, Guatemala, Malaysia, Niger and Tunisia.
"The TI-DS findings come at a time of record global military expenditure, which reached an all-time high of US$2.4 trillion amidst heightened geopolitical tensions. Despite international frameworks advocating for transparency, the report highlights significant gaps in implementation.
"Opaque defence sectors often cite blanket national security exemptions to withhold critical information, and public interest tests, meant to weigh the benefits of disclosure against potential harm, are seldom applied," it said.
The lack of transparency, the report warns, increases the risk of corruption and mismanagement while eroding public trust in institutions tasked with national security.
"In Malaysia, governance reforms have stagnated, with the Official Secrets Act 1972 severely limiting access to information. The OSA overrides other legislation, effectively functioning as the country's primary framework for restricting public access to government information.
"This has left the Malaysian public with scant knowledge of defence budgets, expenditures, or acquisition planning."
As such, it calls for the government to expedite the tabling of a Freedom of Information Bill and to amend the OSA to strike a more equitable balance between transparency and justified national security concerns.
"The report recommends that legal frameworks require officials to assess the public interest versus potential harm before withholding information. This would ensure that decisions regarding information disclosure are made with proper consideration of the potential impact on the public.
"It also calls for governments to proactively disclose defence budgets, procurement plans, and financial results with its regular publication would help enhance accountability and foster public trust in the defence sector.
"The report further advocates for the establishment of independent review bodies to monitor and adjudicate disputes over information access. These bodies would help ensure that the process remains fair and transparent," it said.
The report also highlighted the importance of engaging civil society in defence planning and policymaking.
"Increased involvement from civil society would provide broader input and oversight, ensuring that defence decisions reflect the public's interests. National security should never serve as a pretext for concealing corruption or mismanagement of public funds," said TI-M.
The New Straits Times has reached out to Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin for comments.