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THE Ministry of Defence (Mindef) is undertaking a sweeping overhaul of its Anti-Corruption Plan in what Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin has described as a drive towards “radical transparency” in the governance of national defence.
In a written parliamentary reply published on Parliament’s website, Mohamed Khaled said the ministry, together with the Malaysian Armed Forces, had formulated strategic measures to curb abuse of power and prevent irregularities in high-value defence procurement.
He explained that the Anti-Corruption Plan would be comprehensively restructured, with integrity embedded at every level of leadership, including the highest ranks.
The revised plan, he said, would go beyond preventing graft to ensure that defence spending delivers genuine value to the nation, that acquired assets are of assured quality and safety, and that the integrity of personnel is safeguarded.
“This effort is supported by a leadership code of ethics that demands moral example, transparency and zero tolerance for corruption, in order to build an organisational culture grounded in integrity and to enhance public confidence in MINDEF.
“In addition, the ministry’s procurement process will be reviewed and strengthened in line with best practices. Procurement decisions will no longer depend on a single individual or one unit, but instead be made through a committee system involving technical, financial, legal and strategic planning expertise.
“Every stage, from planning to approval, will have checks and balances, including approval at the highest level such as the Cabinet.
“This approach reduces the risk of a ‘single point of failure’ and ensures that decisions are made professionally and transparently, although the government acknowledges that continuous improvements are needed to close any gaps that may allow leakages,” he said.
The minister was responding to a question from Datuk Azman Nasrudin (Perikatan Nasional–Padang Serai), who sought details of specific measures implemented by the ministry and the armed forces leadership to guarantee full transparency in the procurement of high-value defence assets, as well as how the integrity of senior officers is monitored to prevent corruption or abuse of power.
Mohamed Khaled added that nationwide digitalisation initiatives and enhanced procurement monitoring systems would be strengthened to reduce human intervention and close avenues for manipulation.
“MINDEF will also upgrade its procurement monitoring system to enable the continuous tracking of status, delivery schedules, compliance with specifications and financial performance in order to enhance integrity and accountability,” he said.
He further disclosed that the ministry would optimise the use of artificial intelligence to reinforce procurement and administrative processes, alongside establishing trusted, targeted and systematic complaint and feedback channels.
“These channels will allow any doubts, dissatisfaction or disclosures to be investigated independently without interference from interested parties, so that action can be taken in a fair, transparent and effective manner.
“In addition, MINDEF will strengthen internal controls to improve procurement transparency through compliance audits, risk-based audits and governance audits.
“This approach ensures that every procurement process complies with financial regulations, standard operating procedures and the established principles of accountability,” he said.
All tender and procurement processes will be reviewed to ensure alignment with best practice standards, he added.
“MINDEF is committed to eliminating all forms of leakage, regardless of who is responsible, and to restoring integrity while ensuring a robust governance system with no room for misconduct.
“For too long, integrity has been discussed without being truly practised. Therefore, it is time for MINDEF to act more firmly and fairly,” he said. - February 25, 2026