DEFENCE WHITE PAPER 12. This is important not only for democratic procedural reasons, but also because it helps to consolidate the societal base of national security. The MAF needs the support of the rakyat to win any armed conflict either internal or external as proven during the First and Second Emergency (1948-1960 and 1968-1989 respectively) and the Konfrontasi (1963-1966). 13. Engaging the rakyat and all stakeholders is a component of Total Defence or Pertahanan Menyeluruh (HANRUH), where everybody plays a role in defending the nation. Introduced in 1986, HANRUH is an approach that emphasises the involvement of every level of society, government agencies, private sector, non-governmental organizations and the people in national defence and security. Educating the rakyat about the emerging security issues is an essential move to involve them to do their part to defend Malaysia. 14. Engaging the rakyat in defence and security issues provides a better understanding of the responsibilities of the Minister of Defence, Secretary General (Sec-Gen) of MINDEF and the Chief of Defence Force (CDF), as well as the roles and contributions of the MAF. 15. The Minister of Defence advises the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the Parliament on defence matters and provides strategic guidance to ensure successful and effective implementation of MINDEF’s policies. The Sec-Gen serves as the Chief Executive of the Ministry, Controlling Officer and the Ministry’s Chief of Public Accounts as well as the main advisor to the Minister. The Sec-Gen is the primary lead in formulating the Ministry’s policies and development plans to achieve MINDEF’s objectives and policy goals. On the other hand, the CDF is the Minister’s most senior advisor on military affairs under the ambit of defence. The CDF, together with the three Service Chiefs advise the Armed Forces Council which is responsible for the MAF’s command, disciplinary actions, administration and related matters, except on the operational use of the armed forces. The CDF is responsible for ensuring the implementation of the decisions by the Council. 16. The primary role of the MAF is to maintain peace and be prepared for any armed conflict, in order to effectively defend Malaysia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and other national interests against external threats. The Latin proverb “Si vis pacem, para bellum” means “If you want peace, prepare for war”. Thus, defence preparedness is the best guarantee for peace. As a peace-loving and compassionate nation, Malaysia places greater emphasis on diplomacy in dealing with other countries. MINDEF and the MAF have actively conducted defence diplomacy and other international engagement activities with regional and global partners. The MAF has participated in a number of the United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Operations (PKOs) around the world and has also assisted civil authorities in addressing security challenges whilst supporting nation building. 17. The National Defence Policy (NDP) is a classified document produced by the Government prior to the DWP in 1971, 1979 and 1981. In 1986, a comprehensive NDP was produced and had undergone revisions in 1993 and 2006. In 2010, an open version of the NDP was published in line with the spirit of HANRUH. 18. This DWP builds upon the engagement efforts with key stakeholders. The main reference is the National Security Policy (NSP) by the National Security Council (NSC) published in 2017. The NSP serves as an overarching capstone document for all subsequent security-related agencies and policies, including this DWP, alongside the parallel documents, such as the Foreign Policy Framework of the New Malaysia: Change in Continuity produced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Security and Public Order Policy (Dasar Keselamatan dan Ketenteraman Awam, DKKA) produced by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2019. These key documents represent the Government’s emphasis on inter-agency coordination among the constituent components of Malaysia’s security cluster. 12