SHAH ALAM: He said, she said. The Defence Ministry brought the media to visit the Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS) in Lumut on August 13, in an apparent damage control attempt following the publication of the Public Accounts Committe (PAC) report on the LCS project.
The media was given a guided tour of the shipyard and even the warehouses where equipment meant for the LCS are kept- by BNS CEO Azhar Jumaat. Azhar, the previous BNS LCS director, were among the many people who gave testimony to the PAC.
Mindef release on the visit:
Lumut, 13 Ogos 2022- Menteri Kanan Pertahanan berulang kali menegaskan bahawa tiada perkara yang akan beliau dan Kementerian Pertahanan sembunyikan berkaitan LCS.
Ketegasan ini sekali lagi diterjemahkan hari ini apabila MINDEF membuka peluang kepada sebanyak lebih kurang 20 agensi media untuk mengadakan lawatan ke Boustead Naval Shipyard di Lumut Perak.
Lawatan ini bukan sekadar bertujuan memberi taklimat tentang reka bentuk LCS, malah paling utama semua wakil media diberi ruang untuk melihat sendiri secara dekat kapal-kapal LCS yang sudah di peringkat pembinaan. Mereka juga dibenarkan mengambil video dan gambar untuk tatapan umum.
Mereka turut dibawa ke gudang penyimpanan peralatan LCS yang akan dipasang kelak.
Lawatan hari ini telah mendapat maklum balas yang amat baik dari setiap wakil media dan semua boleh mengesahkan bahawa kapal LCS sudah di peringkat pembinaan. Terima kasih rakan-rakan media yang turut serta hari ini.
Clearly the ministry wanted Azhar to rebut some of the reports on mainstream and social media on the LCS following the publication of the report. Did the damage control work? Not really based on the comments on the ministry’s post. Anyhow, Azhar’s statements during the visit will surely be rebutted by the various people who had commented on the PAC report. The conversation has clearly degenerated into a he said/she said scenario with no clear end in sight.
The pictures provided by the ministry also showed that the statement made by LTAT CEO Nazim Rahman on his personal Facebook not really that truthful especially on “work on the ships are continuing”.
From the pictures, PCU Maharaja Lela did not look as having any recent work on her apart from being shifted around the yard to accommodate the refit work being conducted by BNS on RMN ships including KD Kasturi and one of the Lekiu class.
One good thing though about this attempt of transparency – belated as it is – that it should be followed with other big tickets items under the ministry that had not been contracted yet. The openness might well prevent the MALE UAS, MPA and FLIT-LCA from becoming like the MD-530G and LCS projects. Or will Rahsia supersede everything even shenanigans, corruption, and collusion.
— Malaysian Defence
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View Comments (22)
Defense Minister said the gov is willing to fund the first 2 ships. After the 2 ship is completed and operational then only the gov will decide if the rest of the LCS should be built too. But yesterday BNS CEO said they are continuing work on all 5 units. This is clearly contradicted with the defence minister statement. Care to elaborate?
BNS has got no money, they can only finish the first two ships
“BNS has got no money, they can only finish the first two ships”
This is worrying considering the equipments for all 6 ships had been bought and paid for. Gov willing to pay for only 2 ships at the moment. What will happen to the rest of the equipments? Or it can be used as parts for the 2 units provided all in pristine condition. BNS method to build all 6 ships simultaneously. Is this a contract requirement or a common practice? Its rather odd & puzzling 🤨
The plan at the moment is to finish all six ships, so all the equipment already bought will be fitted on the ships. On the concurrent building of the LCS, it was the BNS decision to do this way as to ensure they meet with the RMN delivery dateline of having the ships delivered every year. LCS 1 was supposed to be delivered in 2019, 2 2020 and so on and so forth. The decision clearly showed either BNS was so full of itself that it can actually achieved this or their naivety, take your pick. No, no one does this especially with a new type of ship. Even China which builds tonnes of ships every year, do not do this for the first of class. They will start concurrent built, split between several ship yards, after the first three ship is completed.
I disagree with the intense politicking that followed the PAC report release. Suddenly all and sundry are now demanding concrete answers to what's transpired on the debacle. The hikmah or silver lining as said by the blog is just that, that all upcoming buys be transparent for all to scrutinize sans politicking. We need these ships quick. Build them, and get them in the water pronto! Leave the politics to the idiot practitioners, and the idealistic student bodies and NGOs. Where are the ugly politicians when the LCA project need the so-called upright politicians backing and defense?
So was it true that the PSIM installed during the launch was the fake one; purposely "built" with the cost around 300-400k RM only for the ceremony, including the "window made of plywood"?
It was not the PISM, it was a fake mast build for the launch.
Qamarul -"What will happen to the rest of the equipments"
In theory some can be used on other platforms such as the LMS Batch 2s but those haven't been ordered yet and there's no way the government is going to announce at this juncture that only a pair of LCSs will be constructed; too early days and that would be politically damaging. As for the simultaneous build; who was in charge of ensuring that BNS was capable? Who?
What check and balance or due diligence was performed?
Taib - "I disagree with the intense politicking that followed the PAC report release"
You may disagree but it's given that politicians will use whatever ammo they have to score points against their political rivals; politicians being politicians. They see it as a big stick to be used to bring down BN in the next GE; like 1MD. Whether or not the RMN gets the needed capability is the least of their concerns.
The question is will we learn from this cockup? Doubt it..
Rampant corruption. Malaysia can’t even build and finish any ship without controversy or saga. First was the Kedah class, then the training ships. The Kota Bahru class is not even ready and now the LCS. This country is floundering and like I have said before, a failing state. It will be the Argentina of Asia.
"Rampant corruption. Malaysia can’t even build and finish any ship without controversy or saga. First was the Kedah class, then the training ships. The Kota Bahru class is not even ready and now the LCS. This country is floundering and like I have said before, a failing state. It will be the Argentina of Asia." comment suited for MalaysiaKini forum not Malaysiadefence ...you are in a wrong forum
Indeed every politician and their dog is having a piece at it. The Opposition forget that it was in their laps during their rule and not a pipsqueak word except for the froze in funding(hence construction). The problem with our politicians (from both divide) is that they are quick to shoot from their mouths & keyboards not realising it is just as quick to get shot back. However blame comes to the rakyat as we are the ones that puts them up there (on both sides).
"Argentina of Asia"
Laughable, for the longest time my whole life I had been hearing of us becoming the "africa of asia", "somalia of asia", "zimbabwe of asia", "greece of asia", "sri lanka of asia"(which is an oxymoron really), and now "argentina of asia". In jest I would take that as a sign of our polyglot multicultural diversity nature of our nation and our people, that we are all rojak... but in all seriousness it is a broken record that I've heard and keep hearing for the longest of time and yet we are far from such doom & gloom realities. The global inflation is real alrite, but moreso it is punishing in First World countries where cost of living is far higher and not all have comprehensive social nets, that's when the basement goes underground and unreported but everything seemed dandy in the world. I've been to Australia and spoken with segments of their society and there are a great many inequalities in many parts of the world.
Failed state no. But failure depends on individual. Stagnant can be considered failure. Is Malaysia stagnat? To answer the question, list down Malaysia's socio-economic peers in 1997/98. Then list down Malaysia's socio-economic peers in 2022.