KUALA LUMPUR – Pakatan Harapan (PH) has said it will ensure the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) is well equipped with proper defence gear, in light of how the ongoing littoral combat ships (LCS) controversy has shown the Navy’s interests were not prioritised.
Vowing to continue its probe into the LCS matter if the people return the mandate to PH in the next general election, PH said it would strive to carry out the strategies outlined in the defence white paper presented by the Defence Ministry when the coalition controlled Putrajaya.
“We will make sure that our military receives the best treatment with the necessary equipment to best carry out their duties.
“With all that has been exposed about the LCS, we are sure that the party most saddened by the scandal are the (vessel) users – RMN – and the people of this country,” a statement by the PH parties’ information and communications chiefs read today.
The statement was issued by PH communications director Fahmi Fadzil, DAP publicity secretary Teo Nie Ching, and Amanah communications director Khalid Samad.
They also condemned Umno’s lackadaisical attitude towards the Navy, saying the party’s leadership which had been involved in the LCS as ministers overseeing the project did not care for its needs.
“We regret the behaviour of the Umno leadership which had previously treated the army in a ‘take it or leave it’ manner by ordering military equipment without care for the needs of its users, our military personnel.
“Instead, what was prioritised was securing the project for their cronies instead of fulfilling the needs of our military.”
PH also cited the Public Accounts Committee report which revealed that former defence minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had issued the order to change the LCS design from Sigma – preferred by the RMN – to Gowind based on the suggestion of a French supplier.
“(The decision to switch designs) is an example of the ‘take it or leave it’ tragedy at hand,” they said.
PH said it would ensure RMN has the equipment it needs as it shoulders the important task of maintaining national safety, especially around ocean areas rich with natural resources and exposed to threats.
Noting that Navy Chief Tan Seri Mohd Reza Mohd Sany had said that the RMN is unable to properly carry out its duties as 61% of RMN assets are obsolete, PH also expressed regret over the misconduct that has been brought to light through the LCS issue.
Yesterday, the declassified report by the Investigating Committee on Procurement, Governance and Finance on the LCS matter was released with several redacted sections.
The report detailed that the Defence Ministry had opted for an “unproven, conceptual” Gowind design for the LCS, against the recommendation of the RMN. – The Vibes, August 18, 2022
