Protest On Lcs Scandal To Be Held On Aug 14

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A protest has been planned on Aug 14 in Kuala Lumpur to highlight the littoral combat ships (LCS) scandal.
The organisers, who call themselves the ‘Where are the LCS’ committee, said they would make three demands - which are for the government to investigate the scandal, call for Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein’s resignation and for the government to respond to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) admiral’s letters.
“The government needs to be responsible (for the LCS scandal). Unfortunately, no serious action has been taken apart from unofficial answers and justifications provided by several leaders on social media which do not make sense.
“Thus, there is no other avenue for the rakyat except for everyone to go to the streets and voice out so the government will take immediate action.
“We urge every Malaysian to join us in solidarity and bring a new political culture that prioritises transparency and integrity in governance,” the organisers said in a press statement today.
The protest is scheduled to take place at 2pm, at the Sogo shopping complex.
On Aug 4, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) released its investigation report on the LCS project.
Among others, the report implicated Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as the person responsible for switching the LCS design to one that was not sought by the navy.
The PAC also concluded there were many irregularities in the project leading to delivery delays and sub-contractors not being paid.
Touching on the first demand, the protest organisers called for the establishment of a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to investigate the LCS scandal.
Crack the whip, Putrajaya
They added the first ship was supposed to be delivered in 2019 and despite over RM6 billion in payout, no ship was delivered to date.
“Those who exploited the project must face justice,” they added.
As for Hishammuddin’s resignation, the group stressed that he must take responsibility as the scandal had affected national security.
“Hishammuddin also failed to be transparent and accountable for it. For that, he must resign,” they said.
Lastly, they urged the government to respond to the 10 letters of protest sent by then navy admiral Abdul Aziz Jaafar – five of which were addressed to then defence minister Zahid and two to then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak - all left unanswered.
“Aziz told the PAC that he wrote the letters in 2011 to keep a record of his protest, adding that he had criticised the procurement process from the beginning as ‘something was gravely wrong’.
“If a letter from a navy admiral can be ignored by the government, it shows that our political leaders do not care about the voices of those who defend the country’s security and sovereignty.
“So, we urge the government to respond to the admiral’s letters,” they said.
- Mkini

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