FORMER prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak has made a most extraordinary statement – not denying that he was the “hidden hand” behind the RM9 bil littoral combatant ship (LCS) scandal but asking for proof that he was the “hidden hand”.
Najib said those blaming him for the failed procurement of the six LCS should show proof he interfered with the ships’ design or took money from the project.
Is Najib playing a child’s game of “masak-masak”, forgetting that he is a former prime minister who has the onus to prove that he had lived up to ethical standards of accountability and transparency when he was in power?
I had asked Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi why, as defence minister from 2009 to 2013, he overturned the May 26, 2011 decision (as recommended by the Royal Malaysian Navy) to contract six Dutch-made Sigma LCS and choose the Scorpene manufacturer’s six French-made Gowind LCS on July 11, 2011, without consulting the navy, who is the end-user.
Was Najib responsible for Zahid’s decision, especially as the LCS project was started when Najib was the defence minister before he became prime minister in April 2009?
Why can’t Najib come out with a straightforward denial instead of asking for proof that he was the person responsible?
“The four original sins”
I had said there were four “original sins” of the LCS scandal, two of which were the mysterious change from the Dutch-made Sigma LCS to the French-made Gowind LCS, and the disregard of the views and stand of the end-user (the navy).
Najib cannot disclaim responsibility for the LCS scandal as he was not only the prime minister but also the finance minister; it is the finance minister who must give the final approval for the LCS procurement.
Why is Najib making the most noise, even more than the then defence minister, Zahid, after the expose of the LCS scandal by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC)?
Meanwhile, is Najib right in talking about “a far larger majority vote for Pekan in the 15th General Elections (GE15)”? This is as columnist Mariam Mokhtar recently wrote an article entitled: Najib, the man with the ‘tainted touch’.
Will Najib set forth again in his Malu Apa Bossku campaign, despite his second 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal – the RM9 bil LCS scandal – with a third 1MDB scandal for Najib about to break open? – Aug 14, 2022
Lim Kit Siang is the Iskandar Puteri MP, DAP supremo and a veteran lawmaker.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main photo credit: TIME
