Recently, the Malaysian parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) tabled a report on the procurement of littoral combatant ships (LCS) which revealed that RM6.083 billion 66.65% had been spent on the project, yet not a single ship has been completed out of the 6 in total.
The revelation sparked anger amongst Malaysians who even took to the streets to protest against the lack of transparency and the misuse of public funds.
Following the backlash, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) recently held a media tour in hopes of being more transparent and showing the public the progress on said ships.
On Saturday (August 13), MINDEF took reporters and photographers to see the first LCS which is currently under construction by Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS), with it being 60% completed.
BNS Chief Executive Officer Ir Azhar Jumaat, also gave updates on the other LCSs stationed at the Royal Malaysian Navy Base (TLDM) in Lumut, Perak.
“The five ships under construction with various stages to be completed signify that the RM6 billion spent by the government has been proven. We have set the path and level of capability, so please give us the opportunity and space to show the reality.”
During the 2-hour tour, the media were taken to see the progress of the first LCS and to view the BNS ship storage warehouse which holds the equipment related to the LCS project.
Videos of the first ship’s progress
Following the tour, a number of videos of the inside of the first LCS has been shared online.
One video that was shared on social media showed that there was much still to be done.
That is not a ship
The video has garnered plenty of attention with netizens flocking to express their disappointment over the first LCS’s progress.
“(Is it really) a ship that’s being built? Rusty. Looks like an old ship that’s being used for scraps in Bangladesh,” wrote a netizen.
A couple of users also noticed the lack of equipment inside the ship. “Only the structure. The piping hasn’t been installed, can see the cable tray but the cable hasn’t been laid. Equipment hasn’t been installed. No need to talk about the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Looks like it’ll take a while,” said a user.
Another commented, “If it’s 60% completed then the wiring and ventilation system should have been completed. But here the ducting is still being held with rope, commando sockets are still being used which means that there are no outlet sockets in the ship which is functioning.”
“And why does all of the equipment look rusty and dusty, as if it’s been left on its own for a while,” they added.
It even caught the attention of Muar MP Syed Saddiq who questioned the fact that they said that the first ship is 60% completed.
The first LCS is meant to be 60% completed and was actually scheduled to be completed by April 2019.
What do you think? Does it really look 60% completed?
Also read: The Government Paid RM6 BILLION For 5 Combat Ships That Never Came, Here’s What We Know So Far
