The Umno-led federal government needs to address the littoral combat ship (LCS) scandal that recently blew up before going into the 15th general election (GE15), said Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
During a group media interview earlier this week, Ismail Sabri stressed that it was necessary for the ruling party to handle the LCS issue carefully to avoid another 1MDB saga.
The Umno vice-president said this after noting that opposition parties will use the LCS scandal as ammunition in their election campaigns.
“I believe the opposition will definitely use this issue like how they used 1MDB (during the previous GE). (They will use) the same (tactic),” the prime minister said in response to a question on whether he would wait for the LCS scandal to die down before seeking to dissolve Parliament.
Ismail Sabri earlier told journalists that he had a list of matters that needed to be deliberated on before deciding on the election, including the LCS issue, which has yet to show its full impact.
Explanation is key
The Bera MP pointed out that the BN government lost in the 2018 polls due to the coalition’s failure to appropriately handle the 1MDB financial scandal.
“I believe this LCS issue will continue to be played (by the opposition) regardless of who gets charged in court. For us to wait for this issue to subside... we do not know when that will happen.
“But what is essential now, as I have also told my cabinet, is to explain to the rakyat.
“The previous (BN) government failed to explain 1MDB to the rakyat. This led to the people speculating and deciding what really happened,” he said.
Ismail Sabri has ordered the Defence Ministry to engage the media to explain the truth about the LCS scandal.
He, however, admitted that it would be an uphill battle for the government, hence his decision to be transparent to the rakyat.
“To us, whether the people will believe us or not, they must be given an explanation.
“We cannot cover up (this issue). That is why I decided to declassify the forensic audit report. We must be transparent, so the rakyat can see,” the prime minister said.
RM6b paid, zero LCS delivered
Earlier this month, a report by the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) revealed that the country’s largest defence procurement, worth RM9 billion, for six LCS vessels was in shambles.
The then BN government announced the multi-billion ringgit project in 2011 to build six second-generation patrol vessels for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).
The PAC’s report showed that since the project’s contract took effect in 2013, the government has paid more than RM6 billion, but not a single vessel has been delivered.
It also revealed that the LCS was based on a model not chosen by the navy despite it being the end-user.
Following this, the cabinet proposed that the forensic audit report on the LCS procurement be declassified, which was done on Aug 17. - Mkini
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