Rafizi Wants Truthful Answer On Lcs From Hishammuddin

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Senior Minister (Defence) Hishammuddin Hussein must reveal the true cost behind the controversial littoral combat ships (LCS) project, said PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli.
In a statement, the former Pandan MP pointed out that what was said by Hishammuddin (above, right) contradicted the statement by Malaysian Armed Forces Chief General Affendi Buang.
As such, he wanted to know how many ships will be completed and handed over to the government, the delivery schedule, and the overall cost.
“Malaysians are still confused by the conflicting answers on the progress of the LCS project and the costs that will be borne by taxpayers.
“On Aug 8, Hishammuddin was reportedly saying the first ship will operate in one or two years and this means the delivery of the first LCS is expected in 2023 or 2024.
“This is contradictory to the statement made by Affendi, who said on Sept 13 that the first ship is expected to be delivered in January 2026, the second ship in September 2026, the third ship in May 2027, the fourth in January 2028, and the fifth ship in September 2028,” he said.
As such, Rafizi (above, left) urged Hishammuddin to provide a candid answer relating to the contradictory data.
“With over RM6 billion being spent in the RM9 billion LCS project, the remaining allocation is insufficient to complete the entire project. Hishammuddin had said that the LCS cost would reach RM11 billion and they expected that only two ships can be completed with that amount of money.
“For that reason, I urge Hishammuddin to explain to the people some important questions relating to the LCS project.
“How many ships will be completed and handed over to the navy? What is the actual total cost that the government will spend to complete these ships? What is the actual delivery schedule of these ships to the navy?”
Marginalising our military
Rafizi said the country’s military is lagging behind compared to its regional counterparts due to the delay in the LCS project, which was designed and built using decade-old technology.
“It makes no sense to continue with the existing contract with BNS that uses the specifications of 10 years ago at multiple costs as this will continue marginalising our military’s defence capabilities compared to regional countries.
“We should build a defence capability comparable to regional countries like Indonesia,” he said.
A parliamentary Public Accounts Committee report on the project revealed a huge overrun in cost amounting to RM1.4 billion in the RM9 billion contract, with RM6 billion paid as of 2020.
A media tour of the LCS shipyard last month revealed that five of the six ships are under construction, with the first ship 60 percent complete as of April.
On Aug 17, Hishammuddin said the ongoing construction of the first LCS would not involve new allocations from the government.
Yesterday, Hishammuddin pledged to provide an update on the progress of the LCS project next week. - Mkini

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