Opposition MPs: Prioritise maritime, data, and geopolitical security
PARLIAMENT | An opposition MP has urged the government to prioritise maritime and data security to ensure Malaysia’s sovereignty is protected.
In her speech during the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) debate in the Dewan Rakyat today, Wong Shu Qi (Harapan-Kluang) expressed concern over two recent security breaches.
The first was an alleged attempt to sell 31.8GB worth of personal data originating from the National Registration Department (NRD) on a hacker forum.
The NRD has denied the existence of any data breach.
The second incident was the entry of a Chinese government ship...
PARLIAMENT | An opposition MP has urged the government to prioritise maritime and data security to ensure Malaysia’s sovereignty is protected.
In her speech during the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) debate in the Dewan Rakyat today, Wong Shu Qi (Harapan-Kluang) expressed concern over two recent security breaches.
The first was an alleged attempt to sell 31.8GB worth of personal data originating from the National Registration Department (NRD) on a hacker forum.
The NRD has denied the existence of any data breach.
The second incident was the entry of a Chinese government ship into Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone off the coast of Labuan earlier this week.
“Not only are our maritime borders not safe from intrusions, but our personal data is also not safe from being hacked.
“Among the challenges in the digital age is data security. If we let our guard down, hackers will be able to dismantle our administrative, financial, health, and other systems without even having to enter our physical borders,” she said.
Wong questioned what the government had done in response to repeated maritime encroachments.
“The ministry involved should explain what was the action they took every time there was an intrusion by a foreign ship into Malaysian waters.
“Continued silence will not benefit us and it will only make us seem like an easy target for bullies,” she remarked.
Wong proposed an inter-agency effort to strengthen Malaysia’s maritime security.
This included coming up with a master plan to coordinate resources and stakeholders like the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) and the Royal Malaysian Air Force (TUDM).
“We need to have a Malaysian maritime master plan for more strategic resource-management.
“We need to integrate maritime data between agencies and defend our fisheries and waters from being encroached by other countries,” she said.
Don’t get torn between US, China
Meanwhile, Salahuddin Ayub (Harapan-Pulai) urged Putrajaya to strategise its geopolitical standing.
This was amidst tensions between the United States and China.
He opined that a weak government could expose Malaysia to foreign influence.
“It is important for Malaysia to make smart diplomatic moves.
“I am emphasising this so we don’t let our guard down as we have political instability where (the government) only has a majority of three (MPs).
“This will cause us to go off-course and get caught in games between these two world powers in what I call torn between two lovers, feeling like a fool,” he cautioned during his turn to debate the 12MP.
Without naming him, Salahuddin criticised former foreign minister Hishammuddin Hussein for previously using the term “big brother” in an apparent reference to China.
However, he also said Malaysia should maintain good business relations with China.
[More to follow]
