PKR MP: Ismail's govt must be upfront about littoral combat ship saga

 

Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad has called on the government to learn the lessons of the littoral combat ship (LCS) project controversy and have the political will to allow the process to take its course.

In a statement today, he highlighted that the RM9.128 billion LCS project - the largest defence procurement exercise for new equipment in Malaysia's history - was one of the several issues that were examined by the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Defence and Home Affairs when he was its chair.

"I note that the MACC has recently arrested several individuals in relation to the LCS controversy.

"As the record will show, the project has been marred by a number of controversies, including not only the failure to deliver the ships as scheduled but also cost overruns, contentious payments and questions over how it was awarded.

"Indeed, despite the arrests, one cannot help but argue that a clearer, more comprehensive picture of the saga would now be available to the authorities and the Malaysian public if only the Select Committee had been allowed to continue as well as complete its work," said Nik Nazmi.

He said that the PSC was working well and making good progress until the change of government that brought down the Pakatan Harapan administration and stymied the process.

Setiawangsa MP Nik Azmi Nik Ahmad

"Moreover, the arrests - while welcome - ought not to be regarded as "cased closed" or "mission accomplished", firstly because no one has been charged yet.

"But also because the current government has yet to openly and comprehensively outline how it not only intends to ensure the LCS (ships) are finally completed or that the problems which plagued it do not recur for future projects," he added.

Nik Nazmi said that lessons must be learnt lest the country is confronted in the future with an even bigger bill for yet another flawed project.

Last week a 62-year-old broker was arrested by MACC in connection with the procurement of six littoral combat ships under suspicion of having engineered ghost projects to siphon a total of RM24 million.

According to sources with knowledge of the case, the man allegedly worked in cahoots with a former CEO of a company that was involved in the procurement of the ships. - Mkini