I CONGRATULATE Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein for going through with the declassification of two documents on the RM9 bil littoral combatant ship (LCS) scandal.
These are namely the Special Committee on the Procurement, Governance and Finance’s (JKSTUPKK) report as well as the forensic audit report on the LCS project from 2010–2014 which was carried out by Alliance IFA (M) Sdn Bhd.
However, the redactions in these two reports were not only unnecessary but clearly against the principles of accountability and transparency.
Both these reports, alongside the earlier Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on the LCS scandal were three horror stories for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) – together, they deal the most serious blow to RMN in its 88-year history.
These three reports on the “horror stories” in RMN are more than enough justification for the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the LCS scandal and I call on Hishammuddin to ensure that the Cabinet at its meeting tomorrow take the formal decision for the establishment of a RCI into this scandal, headed by a judge or former judge.
After three horror stories in its 88-year history, RMN deserves a 65th National Day relief with the establishment of a RCI into the scandal.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had said that UMNO should address the LCS scandal before going to the 15th General Election (GE15) and not allow the Opposition to use the issue in the way the 1MDB scandal was used in the 14th General Election (GE14).
One way for UMNO and the government to handle the LCS scandal differently from the 1MDB scandal is to establish a RCI which was not done with the 1MDB scandal.
Not only that, Parliament, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) and the Judiciary were also roped in to cover up the 1MDB scandal!
Would Ismail Sabri agree to the establishment of a RCI on the LCS scandal and even agree with the Opposition that the 15th General Election would not be held until the RCI had submitted its report – giving the RCI a six-month time frame to present its report?
Reading the forensic audit report on the LCS scandal is another reading of the “horror story” involving abuse of power, breach of trust, corruption, deception and malpractices in military procurements which are a betrayal of the naval personnel – both present and past – who sacrificed and were prepared to sacrifice their lives in the service of the nation.
The forensic audit of the LCS project has opened a can of worms with many questions left unanswered.
In this case, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should also explain its thunderous silence on the questions I had raised for a week – why were the three charges against former Boustead Heavy Industries Corp Bhd managing director Tan Sri Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor pre-dated and had nothing to do with the LCS scandal, and why MACC had not prosecuted a single person for the LCS scandal after over a decade?
It is interesting to read about the emergency meeting of UMNO divisional chiefs yesterday, for the LCS scandal has shattered the confidence of UMNO leaders that a GE15 victory is for them to claim.
UMNO leaders are talking about “sharks” in corruption scandals in Malaysia but the biggest question is who is the biggest “shark” in the LSC scandal?
PAS leader Tan Sri Hadi Awang tried to “save” former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak from Sungai Buloh Prison by coming out with a very extreme, foolish and clumsy statement claiming that non-Muslims and non-Bumiputera make up the bulk of the “roots of corruption” in the country.
Is Hadi aware that there are no Muslim-majority countries among the top twenty least corrupted countries as annually surveyed by Transparency International, and that there are eight Muslim-majority countries among the 20 most corrupted countries in the world? – Aug 23, 2022
Lim Kit Siang is Iskandar Puteri MP.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
