Aug 7, 2022
PETALING JAYA: Public Accounts Committee chairman Wong Kah Woh said today the committee’s report on the littoral combat ship (LCS) project was based on the consensus of its 14 members from various political parties.
He also said the statement he released on Thursday about the report was based on PAC’s opinion, summary and recommendation after nearly two years of investigating the issue.
The RM9 billion LCS project has been the subject of controversy over corruption allegations and delays. The first of the six ships was scheduled for delivery this year but none have been completed, the committee said.
Former prime minister Najib Razak had criticised the PAC report, which he said contained inaccuracies and did not present the public with the full picture.
“I want to inform the sixth prime minister that the PAC report is not the report of any one party,” said Wong, who was described by Najib as being the DAP Youth leader. Wong said he vacated the post four years ago.
He said the 14 PAC members were from different parties: Umno (3), Bersatu (3), DAP (2), PAS (2), GPS (1), PKR (1), Amanah (1) and Warisan (1).
“We are parliamentarians from different parties who are united as one to make sure that public funds are safeguarded. All of our decisions are made by consensus,” he said.
Calling on Najib not to “point fingers”, Wong also urged him to read the full report before commenting on it.
Najib yesterday questioned the opposition for trying to pin the blame on him over the problems afflicting the LCS project, stating that he had never been under investigation or called to give a statement to the PAC over the matter.
On Thursday, Wong said the defence ministry and Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS) had ignored the navy’s views on the LCS project.
He said the navy had chosen the Dutch-designed Sigma corvette, which was approved by the defence ministry, only for it to be changed to the French-made Gowind design in July 2011, three days after BNS had recommended the vessel to the defence minister.
Wong said the navy should have received five of the ships by August this year. However, despite RM6 billion being spent on the project since 2011, not a single ship had been completed.
The first of the ships, the Maharajalela, was launched in 2017.
PAS has called for a thorough investigation into the misappropriation of LCS funds, saying the scandal had tarnished the credibility of the armed forces as the ships are critical for the navy.
“The navy’s combat ability needs to be on par with the evolving geopolitics. Therefore, Mindef needs to take the execution of the LCS project seriously,” said party information chief Khairil Nizam Khirudin in a statement.
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