SHAH ALAM, June 1 — The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) will embark on a roadshow in conjunction with its 60th anniversary to educate the public on the country’s need for an effective and capable air defence.
Air Force Chief General Tan Sri Affendi Buang said Malaysians may be unaware of the extent of his force’s functions and responsibilities as well as its need for funding and assets.
Affendi said the nationwide roadshows would go towards providing the public with a more accurate view of the RMAF’s purpose and convincing them of the need to provide the country’s air force adequate support.
“It will be sort of an open day done at the bases, where it will serve to update to the people, on what we have, what we do, and how we spend taxpayers’ money.
“The (mistaken) understanding of the air force sometimes is that we need to spend, where the budget for defence needs to be big; this is not necessary,” he said,
Affendi explained besides funding, other major key factors needed for an effective air force were careful planning and execution.
Besides the roadshows that will include displays of RMAF’s assets and aerial performances, educational magazines explaining and detailing force’s events would also be prepared and distributed.
For the 60th anniversary, Affendi explained that the RMAF was adopting the slogan of Kuasa Udara, Tonggakan Kedaulatan Negara (Aerial Power, a Pillar of the Nation’s Sovereignty).
“It (the slogan) is to remind everyone, especially those within RMAF, of our core purpose, why we are here, our duties and its importance,” he explained.
“We want to make sure those within RMAF (personnel) themselves are clear, and then we want to pass on that understanding to the Malaysian people so they know the reason for our existence,” he said.
According to Affendi, history has proven that nations with strong aerial defences were generally less susceptible to attack.
