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LCS Report To Be Debated in Dewan Rakyat

Dewan Rakyat speaker TS Johari Abdul, PAC members, RMN and BNS personnel posed for a group photograph behind LCS 1 PCU Maharaja Lela at BNS on October 5. TS Johari Abdul picture.

SHAH ALAM: THE Dewan Rakyat will hold a debate in the next session of Parliament on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report regarding the LCS project. The debate will be held when the PAC report is published on October 9, the start of the third session of the current Parliament.

The debate will be the first following the publication of a PAC report, says the committee chairperson Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said in a release today. Previous PAC reports were only published without any debate in the Dewan Rakyat.

Dewan Rakyat Speaker TS Johari Abdul (second from right) listening to RMN Project Director First Admiral Franklin Jeyasekhar Joseph briefing on the LCS project likely on the helicopter deck of LCS 1. With them is BNS CEO Azhar Jumaat. Behind them is KD Kasturi which is still undergoing a refit at the yard. TS Johari Abdul picture.

Dewan Rakyat speaker TS Johari Abdul consented for the debate following a visit to the Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS) in Lumut, Perak on October 5 with the PAC members, Mas Ermieyati said.

The release by the PAC

Lawatan Kerja Rasmi Yang di-Pertua Dewan Rakyat bersama PAC berhubung Kemajuan Projek Kapal Peronda Generasi Kedua – Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)
1. PAC telah mengadakan lawatan kerja rasmi bersama Yang di-Pertua Dewan Rakyat, YB Tan Sri Dato’ Johari bin Abdul ke Limbungan Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS), Markas Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia
(TLDM), Lumut, Perak pada 5 Oktober 2023, semalam.
2. YB Tan Sri Dato’ Johari bin Abdul dan PAC telah mendengar taklimat berhubung Kemajuan Projek Pembinaan Kapal Peronda Generasi Kedua – Littoral Combatant Ship (LCS) daripada Pengarah Pasukan Projek LCS TLDM, Laksamana Pertama Ir. Ts. Laksamana Pertama Franklin Jeyasekhar Joseph dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif BNS, Kepten (B) Ir. Azhar Jumaat.
3. Seperti mana dimaklumkan sebelum ini, Laporan Kemajuan Projek Pembinaan Kapal Peronda Generasi Kedua – Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) bagi Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia di bawah Kementerian Pertahanan bagi Tempoh Oktober 2022 hingga Mei 2023 akan dibentangkan di Dewan
Rakyat pada 9 Oktober 2023, Isnin.
4. Susulan daripada kenyataan YB Tan Sri Dato’ Johari bin Abdul bahawa Laporan PAC berhubung Kemajuan Projek Pembinaan Kapal Peronda Generasi Kedua – Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) bagi Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia di bawah Kementerian Pertahanan bagi Tempoh Oktober 2022 hingga Mei 2023 akan dibahas dalam Mesyuarat Ketiga Dewan Rakyat yang akan diadakan dari 9 Oktober 2023 sehingga 30 November 2023. PAC menyambut baik langkah berkenaan kerana ia membuktikan bahawa
Parlimen mengambil langkah proaktif sebagai mekanisme semak dan
imbang kepada badan Eksekutif/Kerajaan.
5. Ini merupakan perkara bersejarah bukan sahaja kepada Parlimen tetapi juga PAC kerana buat pertama kali, laporan jawatankuasa ini akan dibahaskan berbanding sebelum ini, di mana laporan PAC hanya dibentangkan.
6. Saya akan berbincang lebih lanjut dengan YB Tan Sri Dato’ Johari bin
Abdul berhubung mekanisme perbahasan laporan PAC kelak. Sebagai contoh, usul perbahasan dan penggulungan Laporan Ketua Audit Negara (LKAN) semasa Mesyuarat Kedua pada 6 hingga 7 Jun 2023 dilakukan oleh Menteri yang bertanggungjawab untuk setiap isu LKAN yang dibangkitkan.
7. Namun, saya berpandangan bahawa Laporan PAC wajar dibentangkan dan
digulung oleh Pengerusi PAC Parlimen dan Ahli-ahli PAC Parlimen.
Sekian, terima kasih.
YB Datuk Wira Mas Ermieyati binti Samsudin
Pengerusi PAC Parlimen

Johari announced the decision for the debate on his social media feed, following the visit to BNS. As mentioned before the report covers the period between October 2022 to May 2023.

BNS CEO Azhar Jumaat briefing Dewan Rakyat speaker TS Johari Abdul and the PAC members inside one of the warehouses where LCS equipment are stored.

Unfortunately, both Johari and the PAC chairperson did not say whether work on the LCS project has resumed or not. It is likely that BNS has resumed limited work only and not major ones which it has been doing since the project was halted in 2019. I stand to be corrected of course.

— Malaysian Defence

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View Comments (14)

  • Debate to continue or not continue? Is waste of time and money. Is better buy more LMS which have those necessary capability. If LCS continue, it will be 1st and last batch like our F2000 KD Lekiu

    • They will be debating the report. No one has suggested anything else as it will be too big a burden to bear to spend RM12 billion for nothing even if it is more logical to use any more to build something else

  • Instead of debating about something that happened in the past, maybe MINDEF should present a report to Parliament on the lessons learned and what needs to be done to prevent this from happening again in the future.

  • This is the bane for our national security. Those politicians and individuals responsible should be hang by the neck. But, they won't. What a justice system we have. This country is so much screwed from the beginning of this project.

  • Micheal - “Is better buy more LMS which have those necessary capability”

    The problem is the LMS won’t have the range, endurance and seakeeping needed and it will have less “firepower” and sensors with a shorter range compared to the LCS.

    Akmal - “This is the bane for our national security”

    Someone should tell that to a former PM who laid the groundwork for the very system we have in place. The system which enabled the shite to fly and hit the fan; the system in which the checks and balances and corrective mechanisms failed.

  • Then perhaps we should quickly identify the scapegoat(s) involved in the LCS debacle and 'string them up' outside Parliament House.
    I am pretty sure there are MPs (past and present) involved.

    • They have not identify one even with various reports so how it will be done now?

  • If we include the proposed 2.3 billion rescue of Bousted Plantation by the Govt, the whole LCS saga will be atleast 14.7 billion and counting.But it wont be cancelled as the political will is not there, chances are it will be continued even if the total bill reaches 20billion.

    Until the first ship arrives in 26 or 27(hopefully) RMN may end up having no missiles capable ships till then due to potential obsolescense of missile system in the lekius and kasturi. Though may not be favoured, stop gap measures may be uparming the kedahs or even getting 2nd hand missiles frigates from eithe4 UK, italy or Australia if any available and if RMN even want to.

    • We cannot add the cost of bailing out Boustead Plantation into the LCS, as it is a different thing altogether. That said it was the overreach of the past governments that had Boustead and LTAT into the mess it faced now.

  • The debate report is I believe on Mindef's required periodic status update to the PAC on the progress. Would be key to know on the actual progress with the final and detailed design, and the decision on the SAM missiles. We have the current Minister painting an optimistic picture in parliament, just as his predecessors did until the PAC investigation report. Hopefully this update is different.

  • The focus right now is getting the ships done, not get stuck on the revenge politics - just look at how dysfunctional parliament is right now. The decision has been made to proceed with 5 ships. Better to focus attention and energy on getting the ships built. Its the price we have to pay. Just make the next program - LMS2 - doesnt become another LCS debacle.

  • With the LCS expected cost bursting the 12 4 billion budget, will there even be a LMS 2 ?Considering the Govt p⁶lan to reduce budget deficit and expected increase in civil servant payroll among others, can Malaysia even afford LMS 2 in the next 5 years? 2