I was stunned when I stood up late last night to debate the 2009 Budgetary estimates for the Defence Ministry to be told by the Deputy Speaker Ronald Kiandee, that MPs are limited to five minutes each!

The Defence Ministry has a budget of RM13 billion for next year and is one of the six big-spending Ministries marred by mega scandals of multi-billion ringgit defence procurements.

Speaking in protest under the five-minute limit, I touched on two issues.

One is on the RM1.6 billion Eurocopter helicopter scandal – expressing concern that unless the Public Accounts Committee report on its inquiry into the Eurocopter deal is tabled in Parliament by today, Parliament would be denied of an opportunity to have a debate in the current meeting on the PAC findings and recommendations, making the PAC report quite academic and even useless.

I stressed that the PAC report should be made public in advance of any parliamentary debate so that aviation experts and even aircraft manufacturers could review the evaluation process followed in the Eurocopter deal as so far no independent experts apart from the RMAF/Mindef had been invited to provide expert opinion on the various aspects of the decision-making process.

In view of the shortness of time, I asked for an official Mindef response to the views and issues raised by an aviation consultant and helicopter expert on the Eurocopter deal, viz:

“The ‘new’ Eurocopter Cougar helicopters selected by the Government to replace the RMAF Nuri helicopters are a design which first flew in 1965 and began operational service in 1968.

“The EC725 Cougar is not a wholly new helicopter but a derivative of a design which first flew as the SA330 Puma manufactured by the then Sud Aviation which subsequently became Aerospatiale and later Eurocopter. The first prototype SA 330 flew in April 1965 and although the EC725 Cougar is the latest in a long line of subsequent upgrades, the design is still that of an old helicopter” said the expert.

“I am surprised that the RMAF considered spending so much money (RM1.6 billion) on an old design when other contenders offered to the RMAF were newer designs and fully, not partially certified to the latest safety requirements. The EC725 basic design will be 85+ years old by the time the aircraft are retired and one has to question why the RMAF is to get helicopters which are not even a generation removed from the S61A Nuris they are going to replace.

“Unless the RMAF is going to have new helicopters which are really a new design and a real generational leap, a far more cost effective method would be to upgrade the current Nuri helicopters with new blades, avionics and engines which would bring them into the same era as the EC725 for probably one quarter of the cost.

“I believe the manufacturer of the existing S61A Nuri helicopters, US based Sikorsky Aircraft, had offered a comprehensive OEM backed upgrade program for S61 helicopters which the Government and the RMAF should explore before buying Eurocopter helicopters of a similar design vintage.

The procurement of the Eurocopter Cougar helicopters is currently on hold due to financial constraints imposed by the global credit crisis.

“Since the procurement is on hold anyway, it would be a sensible decision to completely re visit the whole requirement and process. It maybe that the RMAF can achieve just as much capability for a much smaller price.”

The other issue which I touched on is for necessary changes whether in the national service legislation or regulations to exempt cases like Jane Lim for the three-month national service stint, as she and her Malacca family are traumatised by the death of her brother, Ricky Lim, 20, nine days after completing his three-month national service at Lagenda Gunong Ledang Asahan Camp.

The Lim parents have refused to allow Jane to attend the national service training and wanted her to be exempted.

Although the National Service Chairman Dr. Tiki Lafe (MP for Mas Gading) has commendably deferred Jane’s national service call-up, this is not good enough, and the necessary legislation and regulations should be amended if necessary to allow for exemption in such cases to demonstrate that the national service administration is not cruel, heartless and insensitive in these circumstances.

Furthermore, there should be a total revamp of the national service programme to end the high rate of fatalities as well as the sub-standard national service camps and training provided.