Having government weaknesses “leaked” is one thing. Announcing it to the whole world, specifically the enemies of the state, is quite another.

Which is why I question the wisdom in Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed telling the media recently that Malaysia’s security forces would fall short in coping with a terrorist attack, should one occur, simply because they lacked the necessary funding to do so adequately.

The New Straits Times reported Nur Jazlan as saying the government’s allocation of RM12 billion for his ministry at present was only sufficient for operational expenditures, not emergencies and any further cuts, should they occur, would be crippling.

He revealed this shocking news just days before further anticipated cuts in a recalibration of Budget 2016, while adding that his ministry would appeal that they not suffer the same fate as other ministries.

If reading the above made your jaw drop in total disbelief, you are not alone.

Here you have the second man in a ministry which oversees crucial departments like the police force, announcing to the public that the Home Ministry cannot adequately protect the people in the event of a terror attack.

More so, at a time when Malaysia is in the crosshairs of the Islamic State (IS) militant group, who recently claimed responsibility for the Jakarta bombings and shootings that shocked the world.

Does not Nur Jazlan’s announcement seem like an open invitation to terrorists who are waiting for just the right time to strike here?

If Nur Jazlan had tried to garner sympathy from Prime Minister Najib Razak (who is also Finance Minister) to refrain from slashing any budgetary allocations to his ministry, then the message was poorly timed and communicated via the wrong platform.

His “plea” should have been voiced behind closed doors, during a cabinet meeting, not in mainstream media.

On that note, why is Nur Jazlan implying that it is only the police force that would be deployed in the event of a terrorist attack?

What about the army, which falls under the Ministry of Defence? They have separate budgetary allocations and wouldn’t they be roped in as well if, God forbid, a terrorist attack occurred here?

Perhaps it is best for Nur Jazlan and others of his ilk to stop taking a defeatist approach towards a clear and present danger. It is not doing the government, or the country any good.

Let’s forget the IS for a moment. Do we want Sulu intruders taking a second shot at Lahad Datu after reading about our government’s apparent “weaknesses”?