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Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has attacked the Najib administration’s decision to replace the country’s MiG-29N jet fighters as a waste of money, in remarks that will add to pressure on the prime minister who is still dealing with the embarrassing discovery that two air force jet engines had been stolen.
Dr Mahathir, who was a trenchant critic of former PM Tun Abdullah Badawi, did not mention Datuk Seri Najib Razak but he questioned the need to replace the MiG-29Ns which were acquired when he was still the prime minister.
“If I am not mistaken, the aircraft are less than 20 years old. There are many countries, including India, using this aircraft. Are they not able to use the MiG-29 after 20 years? Have they also condemned their MiGs as early as this?” asked Dr Mahathir in a posting on his blog today.
Malaysia received the delivery of the Russian-made MiG-29N in April 1995. Malaysia had signed the purchase of 18 units of the aircraft in June 1994 at a cost of US$380 million, with training and spare parts taking the overall package to US$1.6 billion.
About the same time, Malaysia also acquired eight F/A 18D Hornets from the United States.
Earlier this year, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had said that the air force’s MiG-29N jetfighters would be sold off and replaced with new aircraft.
Several companies abroad had expressed interest to buy the aircraft, he said, adding that the ministry would discuss the matter with the Finance Ministry.
Ahmad Zahid said the MiG-29N would be replaced with interceptors with the latest technologies to strengthen the air force’s capabilities.
Dr Mahathir implied today that the Najib administration had been influenced by middlemen looking for huge commissions in its decision to replace the Russian fighters.
“The sale and acquisition of aircraft by the government can give millions in profits to middlemen. Are the interests of middlemen influencing the decision to condemn the MiG-29 and buy new replacements?” he asked.
Dr Mahathir said that with the country’s current economic conditions, he wondered whether the government could afford new acquisitions. He argued that the MiG-29Ns should actually be refurbished as that would be more cost-effective.
“Can’t we repair the MiG-29s? If we cannot, the Russians can. Maybe even the Indians can.
“If fighter jets costing hundreds of millions can only last 20 years it is better that we do not have fighter aircraft,” he said.
Dr Mahathir’s remarks calling for the government to save money and cancel its plan to replace the Russian-made fighters comes amid charges made in a recently published book that he had squandered huge sums of public funds when he was Prime Minister.
Dr Mahathir has denied the charges that he had wasted nearly RM100 billion through corruption and grandiose projects which were detailed in “Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times,” a book written by Barry Wain, the former managing editor of the Asian Wall Street Journal.
