SENIOR Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein was ecstatic that the Cabinet had decided to go ahead with the purchase of littoral combat ships (LCS) with the financial implication of RM4 bil.
The decision was made on two grounds: that these vessels are much needed by the Royal Malaysian Navy to protect the country’s coastline and to ensure that the 400 vendors involved in the project are taken care of – including the 100 Malaysians from armed forces veterans association.
It looks like the main beneficiary of the purchase are the foreign vendors and not so much Malaysians but having said that, the details about the vendors and the actual purchase are still shrouded in much mystery and confusion.
First and foremost is the question as to why these ships are purchased from France. After all, there are enough problems with the earlier purchase of French submarines to the extent of conspiracy and the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu.
The matter has yet to be resolved, including the extradition of one of the murderers from Australia.
As if these complications and the terrible wastage of public funds are not enough, the Government has made the decision to go ahead with the purchase of the combat ships on a colossal financial scale.
The public is not even privy to any information about the preparedness of our navy in safeguarding the coastline and why there is a need to purchase these new assets.
It is a strange giveaway that Hishammuddin was crude enough to suggest that the interests of the vendors need to be taken into account as though this priority was equal or more to that of the navy safeguarding the country.
What are the actual details of the vendors, both foreign and local?
Were there any prior commitments with the vendors and why is safeguarding their financial interests so important?
There is in fact already an ongoing MACC investigation on the matter so why the hurry to buy the combat ships?
Whose interests is the defence ministry trying to protect – the millions of taxpayers or the few vested interests?
Since the approval to purchase these combat ships was a Cabinet decision, I can only presume that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is fully aware of the details surrounding the purchase.
Is he prepared to divulge the details about the matter in Parliament or is he the man of all seasons who prefers to please and appease the various sectional interests in the country?
In the past there have been several financial disasters in the purchase of assets in the different divisions of the armed forces.
To date, despite the wastage and corruption there is no decency on the part of the Government to even order a comprehensive audit of the assets in the armed forces.
The need to purchase assets are there but the armed forces and politicians are not even prepared to face the question of whether the armed forces are ever vigilantly prepared for all eventualities of defending the nation.
This sometimes makes you wonder who our real enemies are – are they the amorphous and invisible outside forces or are they those who bleed the nation of hard-earned taxpayers’ money?
It is just a shame that the Government continues on the slippery road to decline with corruption and immediate gratification to satisfy the interests of a few at the expense of the large majority continues to go on unabated.
The financial collapse of Sri Lanka brought about by self-inflicted wounds provides a good example to not take the similar disastrous road.
This therefore begs the question: will the Government in power continue to inflict wounds on the nation and its people before a major disaster takes place? – April 22, 2022
Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is the state assemblyperson for Perai. He is also deputy chief minister II of Penang.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
