Opposition trying to make LCS issue another 1MDB - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR – The opposition is trying to make the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) issue against Barisan Nasional (BN) the same way they did with 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) in the previous election.

Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said a lot of attention has been diverted to the issue pertaining to the construction of the LCS.

“The existence of the LCS project has been around since 2019 but why didn’t they bring it up then?

“Why must they bring it up when it is nearing the general election? This is the main instigator,” he said in his speech at 2022 Wanita BN Convention at World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur today.

He raised a question as to why the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) were adamant in their investigations regarding the LCS issue but was not the same with Lim Guan Eng’s undersea tunnel project.

“Why didn’t the PAC investigate Lim Guan Eng’s undersea tunnel project?

“The Pakatan Harapan (PH) government promised a lot of things to the people.

“Free education, abolishment of tolls, PTPTN loans and Felda loans but where are all the abolishments?” he questioned.

He said the opposition party were meant to be the main instigators of the government.

Najib, who was in BN’s Board of Advisors said that during the ruling of the PH government, the people were very nostalgic for the government under BN.

“We lost in GE14 because PH wants revenge,” he said.

He reminded if BN were to continue being the ruling party, Malaysia would have prospered with the construction of MRT3, the continuation of BR1M and so much more.

“We could have had a Singapore in Kuala Lumpur,” he envisioned.

He maintained that BN is the only political party that the people can put their trust in to restore the nation’s prosperity.

The LCS project stole the spotlight when Public Accounts Committee (PAC) revealed that about RM6 billion had been spent, yet not a single ship had been completed or delivered when five ships should be ready by August 2022.

Yesterday, Boustead Naval Shipyard who were awarded the LCS project took 48 media practitioners to the construction site in Lumut to prove that works were underway to complete the ships.

The first ship had shown development of up to 60 per cent, the second ship (LCS 2) reached 48 per cent, LCS 3 (43 per cent), LCS 4 (36 per cent) and LCS 5 (22 per cent).