KUALA LUMPUR – The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) expressed concern over the 86-day delay in the construction of littoral combat ships (LCS).
This comes after PAC received a follow-up report from the Defence Ministry.
Its chairman, Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, said the project has achieved a completion rate of 67.28%, which falls short of the ministry’s stipulated target of 68.77%.
“Even though the difference is 1.49%, this has resulted in a delay of 86 days,” she said in a press statement.
The Masjid Tanah MP also said that the detailed design issue concerning the LCS has yet to be resolved between the ministry and the LCS design supervisor, Naval Group from France.
In January 2023, the government decided to reduce the number of LCS ships to five from the originally agreed-upon six.
The LCS project came under scrutiny after the PAC revealed that Putrajaya had already paid out RM6.08 billion.
In August 2022, the PAC said that some RM1.4 billion in government allocations for the project had been diverted for other purposes.
The PAC had said that five of the ships were supposed to be received by the Navy in August 2022.
Previously, Mas Ermieyati also said that the construction delay of the ships requires meticulous monitoring.
She further added that the length of the delay cannot be revealed due to compliance with Standing Order 85 of the Dewan Rakyat.
As per the comprehensive PAC report on its LCS findings to date, the contractors disclosed that the detailed design of the ship was 94.75% completed by a local team in Lumut, with the portion approved by Naval Group in France standing at 85%.
On a separate note, Mas Ermieyati also announced that PAC had initiated proceedings on the implementation of the multi-lane free-flow (MLFF) project under the Works Ministry and the Malaysian Highway Authority on February 26.
She said that even though the Auditor-General’s Report did not highlight this issue, the proceedings would follow Standing Order 77 (1) (d) of the Dewan Rakyat, Treasury Instructions (Amendment 2023) 301, and Section III Article 11(b) of General Circular No. 2 (1982). – February 29, 2024