BARISAN Nasional (BN) should not be linked with the littoral combat ship (LCS) scandal as it is a problem that only involves the shipbuilder’s management, Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan said.

He said the opposition had deliberately played up the matter of the ships to discredit the coalition.

“Why didn’t they prosecute (those involved) when they were the government? That is why we say, they used this issue to make us look bad.”

“I think this is a management problem that has nothing to do with Umno and BN,” he said in a speech at the opening ceremony for the launch of the Terengganu BN machinery, in Kemaman, yesterday.

In fact, if there is a misuse of power as alleged, the individuals involved need to be brought to justice, he said.

But the investigation must be fair and not just one-sided, he added.

At the same time, Mohamad or Tok Mat as he is popularly known, also denied claims that the shipbuilding company, Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS), has links with Umno.

“They say it is an Umno crony company, but BNS is not a crony, it belongs to the Armed Forces Fund Board, the party has nothing to do with it,” he said.

Mohamad stated this when BN leaders, particularly Umno adviser Najib Razak, became the target of attacks regarding the delay in the delivery of the combat ships.

Investigations by the Public Accounts Committee had found that more than RM6 billion had been paid to BNS but not a single ship had completed construction to date. 

Former defence minister Mohamad Sabu and his former deputy Liew Chin Tong are among those who have pinned the blame on Najib, who was then prime minister, when the contract for the project was signed.

The project had begun during the Najib Razak administration, when Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was defence minister.

According to the original schedule, five ships should have been completed and handed over to the Royal Malaysian Navy by August 2022.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob gave his assurance that the case’s investigation and forensic audit reports would be made public.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission recently announced that the probe into the case had been completed and that the investigation papers had been submitted to the attorney-general. – August 14, 2022.