Dispersed defenses weakened Malaya more than a simple shortage of weapons

Could British anti-tank defenses in Malaya have dealt more effectively with Japanese armor?

Yes, if they had been concentrated and organized coherently; dispersal in small packets squandered weapons that could have imposed serious losses.

Malaya's defenders repeatedly committed equipment in small, disconnected packets. Sufficient anti-tank guns existed to make Japanese armor pay heavily if commanders had concentrated and positioned them coherently. Fragmented deployment instead allowed locally superior Japanese forces to defeat the defenders in sequence. The loss of Malaya and Singapore then transformed the basing and sea-control problem facing Force Z and the Eastern Fleet.