Nation

Hisham: Govt to report on LCS project progress in stages

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will report on the schedule and progress of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) construction project in stages, said Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

He said his ministry was given six months to revive the project and he believed the first ship would be delivered to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) within two years.

"We will look at how we can ensure that the ships are delivered to the RMN and that those who are guilty are brought to justice.

"I will report (inform) to the public the schedule for the construction of the ships," he said during a question-and answer-session at Dewan Negara today.

He said this in a reply to a supplementary question from Senator Datuk Husain Awang, who had asked about the steps taken by the Defence Ministry to resolve the issue of the procurement of the ships, as well as a supplementary question from Senator Datuk Razali Idris, who had wanted to know the time frame involved.

Hishammuddin said the government was giving its full cooperation to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in the probe into the issue.

"Our cooperation with PAC is total. We have already faced PAC more than 15 times.

"If there is a violation or abuse of power, action will be taken against those involved."

On Aug 4, PAC said it had held nine proceedings on the LCS issue, from the first one on Nov 18, 2020, to the last one on March 8 this year.

It found that the LCS project contract was awarded to Boustead Naval Shipyard through direct negotiations, with the government paying RM6.083 billion but not even one ship has been delivered. -- Bernama

Most Popular
Related Article
Says Stories