KUALA LUMPUR – The government has no other option but to complete the troubled littoral combat ships (LCS) project, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said the project had used too much capital to be discontinued, which forced the government to take over it.
“We have ongoing projects that must be completed, including the LCS,” he told reporters after the 40th Kuala Lumpur International Book Festival today.
“We have no choice. We (the government) have spent RM6 billion. We cannot stop (the project), we have to take over to complete it,” he added.
Anwar said a full statement will be issued regarding the Finance Ministry’s new special purpose vehicle (SPV) to take over Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS), the company responsible for the project.
The takeover through a SPV under the Finance Ministry was announced by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan two days ago.
The LCS project became contentious after the Public Accounts Committee disclosed that not a single ship was completed, although the government had paid RM6.083 billion to BNS.
According to Mohamad, the LCS project will be monitored by the Project Monitoring Committee, which is chaired by the Treasury secretary-general and Defence Ministry secretary-general. – The Vibes, May 27, 2023
