The Dapsy chief encourages fellow Malaysians to do the same as this (the LCS scandal) not only causes a wastage of billions in public funds, but more importantly, jeopardises and compromises the safety and security of our country. — Malay Mail photo
KUCHING (Aug 8): The Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (Dapsy) will lodge police reports nationwide against individuals allegedly involved in the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) controversy, its national chief Dr Kelvin Yii said.
“We encourage fellow Malaysians to do the same as this (the LCS scandal) not only causes a wastage of billions in public funds, but more importantly, jeopardises and compromises the safety and security of our country,” he said in a statement today.
The Bandar Kuching MP called on the authorities to investigate the leaders for their alleged involvement in the matter, including former Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Senior Defense Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein.
The LCS project is the largest procurement in the history of the Ministry of Defence with a total cost of RM9 billion. The contract began in 2013 with a ten-year time frame. Six LCS ships were expected to be built and delivered to the country by the end of 2023.
Dr Yii said the first LCS was contracted to be delivered in April 2019, the second in February 2020, the third in December 2020, the fourth in October 2021, the fifth in August 2022 and the sixth in June 2023.
However, Dr Yii said not a single LCS had been completed and delivered, even after a ‘ludicrous’ launching ceremony for the first ship in 2017.
On top of that, he said the Navy’s view as an end user was ignored by the Defence Ministry and Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS) in the implementation of the LCS project, and multiple letters to Najib concerning this issue were also ignored.
Dr Yii also took Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to task, claiming that his silence on the PAC report on the LCS showed that the government did not take the matter seriously.
“Fact of the matter, the very Barisan Nasional(BN) government that is involved in this scandal is the very government in power today and is asking the people to give them a big majority in the next election in the guise of political stability and investors confidence. What they are actually asking for is unfettered powers without the need for accountability just like what is happening with this case.
“That is why we must not buy into this narrative of the need for a huge majority for political stability and investors confidence. Fact is, what investors want is good governance, consistency and stability in policies not a government without accountability,” he said.
PAC chairman Wong Kah Woh revealed last week that cost overruns for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) project totalled RM1.4 billion, with RM400 million used to pay old debts from an old patrol vessel project.