Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein should be sacked for insubordination if the reports on the littoral combat ships (LCS) project are not declassified by Aug 16, said former deputy defence minister Liew Chin Tong.
The cabinet proposed on Aug 9 to declassify a report prepared by the Committee on Procurement, Governance, and Finance chaired by former auditor-general Ambrin Buang.
They also proposed to declassify a report of a forensic audit on the LCS project carried out in 2019.
“If the reports are not declassified by the Defence Ministry by Tuesday, Aug 16, the prime minister should sack Hishammuddin for insubordination.
“These two reports and other relevant documents should be declassified,” Liew (above) said in a statement posted on Facebook yesterday.
Other documents which should be declassified, he said, include a report by the Committee on Procurement, Governance, and Finance on the failed new generation patrol vessel (NGPV) project.
This is because it was revealed by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that part of the funds paid by the government for the LCS project was used to pay off bad debts from the NGPV project.
“The discussion of LCS would not be complete if facts from the NGPV project are not fully known to the public,” Liew said.
The culprits must not be allowed to hide behind the veil of official secrets and national security to commit “corruption of such a mammoth scale”, he said.
“Corruption in the procurement of defence assets is itself a threat to national security.
“Poorly-built defence equipment caused by corruption erodes the morale of our soldiers, adversely impacts combat capabilities of our forces, and compromises the safety of our men,” he said.
While the cabinet proposed to declassify the two LCS reports, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the process must first be advised by the attorney-general and auditor-general.
The PAC issued a report on Aug 4, highlighting the problems that led to the failure of the LCS procurement initiative. - Mkini
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