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Malaysia is set to begin producing rockets within the next two years, with plans to eventually expand into missile manufacturing. Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin described it as a strategic investment that would strengthen Malaysia's defence industry and contribute to the nation's long-term security.
Perhaps it will.
But before we celebrate another ambitious national project, we should ask a far more ordinary question - how does this improve the lives of ordinary Malaysians today?
Governments are often attracted to projects that sound impressive.
Rockets.
Missiles.
Flying cars.
Mega infrastructure.
International partnerships.
These projects generate headlines and create the image of a nation moving boldly into the future. But most Malaysians are not lying awake at night wondering whether Malaysia can manufacture rockets.
We're wondering whether we can afford another increase in the price of groceries. Whether our children will receive a quality education. Whether the public hospital treatment will be as good and efficient as the private. Whether the road outside our neighbourhood will finally be repaired. Whether public transport will get us to work on time. Whether we can save enough for retirement. Whether our salary can keep up with the cost of living.
These are not glamorous concerns. But they are the concerns of the people whose taxes fund the government.
Governments do not spend their own money. They spend ours. Every ringgit collected through taxes, duties, licences and public revenue, belongs - in one way or another - to the rakyat. That money should therefore be treated with a certain level of humility.
That means every decision should pass one simple test - will this expenditure meaningfully improve the lives of Malaysians?
Yes, the rocket initiative will create jobs, transfer technology and build local industrial capabilities. Those are legitimate goals. Developing high-value industries can strengthen the economy, and technology transfer can benefit local companies over the long term.
But governments also have a responsibility to explain something else. Why is this the right priority now?
Public money is finite. Every RM100 million allocated to one project is RM100 million unavailable for another. Economists call this opportunity cost. Ordinary Malaysians simply call it common sense.
If a family is struggling to pay its mortgage, buying a luxury sports car is probably not the wisest financial decision - even if it is their dream car.
If billions are available for developing rockets, people are entitled to ask whether that money could have delivered greater and more immediate benefits elsewhere.
Could it have reduced overcrowding in hospitals? Improved rural schools? Strengthened flood mitigation? Expanded public transport? Helped small businesses struggling with rising costs?
These questions are not anti-development. They are not anti-defence. They are questions about priorities.
National security is undeniably important. Every sovereign nation must be able to protect itself, and developing domestic defence capabilities may well be part of that strategy.
But security is about more than military hardware.
A family that cannot afford basic necessities does not feel secure.
A graduate who cannot find meaningful employment does not feel secure.
A patient waiting months for treatment does not feel secure.
A nation is strongest not only when it can defend its borders, but when its people feel that their government is defending their quality of life.
This is why governments must exercise discipline whenever they spend public money.
It is easy to approve projects that look visionary. But it is much harder to invest in projects that quietly improve people's lives without attracting headlines.
Repairing schools will never make international news. Neither will upgrading clinics or fixing drainage systems. But these are the investments that millions of Malaysians experience every single day.
Governments often speak about leaving a legacy. Perhaps the greatest legacy is not becoming the country that builds rockets.
Perhaps it is becoming the country where citizens trust that every ringgit collected from them is spent with care, humility and purpose.
Because in the end, the success of a government is not measured by how high its rockets fly.
It is measured by how much it lifts the people who never asked for rockets in the first place.
Fa Abdul (fa.abdul.penang@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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