DEFENCE MINISTRY PROPOSES NATIONAL MARITIME COUNCIL FOR STRONGER SECURITY COORDINATION

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- The Defence Ministry has proposed the establishment of a National Maritime Council to coordinate and implement the country’s maritime strategies in a more systematic and impactful manner.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the initiative is crucial to enable the implementation of a Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society (WOGOS) approach in addressing increasingly complex maritime challenges.

He said that while there are existing gaps in Malaysia’s maritime governance, it should not be seen as a weakness but as a reflection of the government’s willingness to acknowledge reality and take corrective action.

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“The security of our maritime domain is not the exclusive responsibility of a single ministry or agency. Therefore, we need a comprehensive WOGOS approach involving all stakeholders — the government, industry players and the general public,” he said.

He said this in his keynote address at the Roundtable Conference and Launch of the Policy Paper: The Future of Malaysia’s Maritime Security, held here today.

Mohamed Khaled said in an increasingly challenging era, the country’s maritime defence strategy must be integrated across multiple sectors, including fisheries, trade, energy, education, technology and coastal communities.

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He noted that security threats are no longer confined to traditional issues such as piracy, smuggling and intrusion, but have expanded into new battlefields involving digital and economic dimensions.

“Cyberattacks, for instance, could cripple port operations, while digital disruptions could affect shipping routes. There are also espionage and intelligence threats that could compromise oil and gas platforms.

“Some nations deploy thousands of fishing flotillas to normalise their activities in the South China Sea, thereby asserting de facto control of the area in practice,” he said. 

At the same time, he said Malaysia would not provoke tension or engage in a zero-sum game merely to project strength, stressing that its pragmatic stance should not be mistaken for weakness or passivity in the face of threats.

-- BERNAMA