LCS scandal will topple BN in GE15, Pasir Gudang MP says

JOHOR BAHRU - The RM9 billion littoral combat ship (LCS) construction project embezzlement scandal will be a ‘storm’ that will topple BN in the upcoming 15th General Election (GE15).

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim said the latest scandal would have a significant impact, especially with rumours that GE15 would be held soon.

“In this LCS corruption scandal, those who should be held responsible are the big leaders of Umno and BN.

“The issue of the LCS warship scandal that is now exposed will invite a storm to collapse and topple Umno-BN once again in the upcoming general election,” he said in a statement today.

The LCS construction project was the largest acquisition in the history of the Defense Ministry with a total cost of RM9 billion.

The contract for the project started in 2013 and is expected to be completed within 10 years.

Last Thursday, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in its report stated that the government had already paid RM6.083 billion for the project of five LCS ships to Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS), which was carried out through direct negotiations, but no ships were delivered so far.

PAC chairman Wong Kah Woh revealed the cost overflow of the LCS project amounted to RM1.4 billion, with RM400 million used to pay off old debt from a patrol boat project.

Hassan said that the issue of the scandal resulted in the coalition government of BN and PN to face another corruption scandal, criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and disposal of illegal money.

The development, he said, was shocking as the people’s money of RM6.083 billion had been paid for the RM9 billion contract to get five LCS ships for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) since 2011, but until now, not even one LCS ship had arrived.

He believed the scandal would be another ‘new wave’ that would destroy BN, just like the national issues that hit before in GE13 and GE14.

Hassan, who is also a member of the Special Committee on Corruption (JKMR) of the Malaysian Election Commission (MACC), said the country was exposed to the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) Scandal involving RM250 million in GE13 around 2013.

“The government’s project for cattle farms failed.

“The money was exploited to buy luxury condos hence, the people were angry and as a result, Umno-BN lost five states and lost its two-thirds majority in Parliament,” he said.

He said in GE14, the country was also exposed to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption issue which was the biggest kleptocracy scandal in world history.

“Due to that, the people were angry again.

“The outcome is not only that Umno-BN lost in Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Perak, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu and Sabah but also lost at the federal government in Putrajaya and became the opposition,” he said.