First Navy LCS to be ready in two years – Hishammuddin

SHAH ALAM – The first Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) project is expected to be ready in a year or two, Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said.

He said that the project would be done in stages and the schedule of the construction would be made public.

“I will report to the public in stages about the ships that have already been promised to TLDM and inform the cabinet what has been done to ensure it can be completed according to what is scheduled. “ he told.

Hishammuddin had said this as he answered a question in the Dewan Negara earlier today.

He could not answer further because he was given six months after the cabinet's decision to mobilise efforts to revive the LCS project.

On top of that, Hishamuddin said the process involved vendor engagement in France and banking institutions.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had, on Thursday, presented nine factors for the troubles surrounding the procurement of six LCS worth RM9 billion.

It said one of the state-of-the-art LCS was less than 44 per cent complete when it was launched in 2017.

The procurement of the six LCS ships for the RMN were said to have been incomplete until now as none of the ships were delivered, although more than RM6 billion had been paid by the government to Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS) for the direct-negotiation project since 2013.

Since the issue went public, former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi dismissed allegations that linked him to the mismanagement of the project, and stated that he was not the defence minister at the time the project was awarded and only held the portfolio from April 2009 to May 2013.

He said the contract was awarded to BNS through direct negotiation and according to procurement guidelines dated April 17, 2002.

PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli alleged that an internal investigation revealed that RM890 million was embezzled from the project due to fraud, overlapping of contracts and other misappropriations.

Meanwhile, DAP assemblyman Liew Chin Tong said Zahid should not deny his responsibility in the matter and claimed the latter had approved the project in 2011 as the then defence minister.