Civil–Military Relations and the Securitisation of the COVID-19 Crisis in the Philippines and Malaysia

Abstract

The analyses of civil–military relations during public health emergencies are traditionally confined to applications in international and humanitarian action related to conflict and disaster. The expansive global response to the COVID-19 pandemic fused health and national security issues, and such a response involved extensive collaboration between the military and civil sectors. The expanded scope and centrality of the military in government pandemic response have been noted globally, and Southeast Asia presented interesting developments. This study investigates how the pandemic affected civil–military relations in the region by looking at the cases of the Philippines and Malaysia. First, it assesses the extent to which the pandemic has been framed within the security language through war analogies that rationalised military response. Second, it investigates the roles of the military in the respective governments’ public health emergency response, providing clues on how the increased military intervention affected people’s trust and confidence in public institutions during the pandemic. The study finds that securitising the pandemic correlated to expanding the military’s power and scope in the government response, but notes that civil–military relations remained dependent on the historical roles of the armed forces in politics and society. The two countries have similarly framed the pandemic as a security threat, but the military’s participation in Malaysia’s response shows development opportunities, while the case of the Philippines reveals how a military-centric pandemic response could lead to deleterious effects.

Citation

Candelaria, J.L. and Talamayan, F. (2023), "Civil–Military Relations and the Securitisation of the COVID-19 Crisis in the Philippines and Malaysia", Shukri, S. (Ed.) Pandemic, Politics, and a Fairer Society in Southeast Asia: A Malaysian Perspective (Diverse Perspectives on Creating a Fairer Society), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 53-65. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80455-588-020231005