Malaysia's National Security: Rhetoric and Substance‪.‬

Introduction Security is an ambiguous concept. It has different meanings for different people, including decision-makers who formulate national policies. (1) Thus, the question "What is national security?" opens the floodgates of contending opinions. Generally speaking, national security refers to a package of values that are deemed worthy of protection. But disagreement arises as to what values should be included in this package and how they are to be prioritized in a socio-political entity. Who decides? How is the underlying conflict in value articulation involving the state, its government and those governed reconciled under conditions of scarcity? These questions are critical to any analysis on national security.