Kuala lumpur: The Malaysian government has conveyed its deep regret regarding Norway's recent decision to deny the export permit for the procurement of guided missiles. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil highlighted that the decision halted the Norwegian company from fulfilling its supply agreement, despite a procurement contract being in place since 2018. The contract had been executed smoothly with all payments made on time.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the procurement deal for anti-ship missiles was signed between the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace AS (KDA) in April 2018, amounting to 124 million euros (RM571.9 million). The missiles were intended to equip six new Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), capable of executing long-range maritime attacks exceeding 300 kilometres at high subsonic speeds.
Fahmi expressed the government's discontent with the reasons provided by Norway and mentioned that Malaysia is pursuing diplomatic measures and considering legal actions, given the strategic national defence interests at stake. Norway's Foreign Ministry had reportedly revoked several export licenses for specific technologies, aligning with the country's stricter export control policies.
In other developments, Fahmi addressed inaccuracies in a report about the subsidy quota under the Budi Madani RON95 (Budi95) programme, as mentioned by Deputy Finance Minister Liew Chin Tong. He clarified that the report had been withdrawn and that Liew's statement pertained to an ongoing study by the Finance Ministry on fuel consumption patterns, not a new government policy announcement.
Fahmi also commented on a recent incident involving Pasir Putih Member of Parliament Datuk Dr Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh, who faced accusations of insulting the Prophet's companions. The Cabinet condemned the remarks and deferred the matter to relevant authorities and the Islamic Religious Affairs Department for further investigation. Zawawi later apologised and retracted his statement, acknowledging the oversight in his speech delivery.