PAKATAN Harapan must take advantage of the littoral combat ship (LCS) scandal to defeat Barisan Nasional in the general election, analysts said.

They said PH must take learn from Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who had used the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) affair to turn the people against the incumbent government in GE14.

They however added that while the LCS scandal is a complex issue, it may not have as damaging as impact on BN.

Ilham Centre executive director Hisommudin Bakar told The Malaysian Insight that Dr Mahathir used simple terms such as “pencuri” (thief) to describe Najib Razak in connection with 1MDB.

He said as long as PH leaders such as Rafizi Ramli, Mohamad Sabu or Liew Chin Tong fail to bring home the magnitude of the LCS case to the voters, the coalition will not manage to grab the attention of voters.

“1MDB was not a simple issue. It was very complex involving a money trail. This LCS issue, although not as big as 1MDB, is still a complex issue.

“What Dr Mahathir did when he talked to the people was he used words such as ‘thief’ and  ‘robbers’ to describe former PM Najib and those involved in the scandal.

“The average person could get what he was saying and Dr Mahathir managed to win over the support for BN. But if PH leaders are not able to use simple terms like Dr Mahathir to describe the LCS scandal, they will not get the attention of the people,” he said.

Hisommudin said the opposition must offer solutions rather than to look for someone to blame.

“PH was once the government, it should know that the people want solutions, not finger-pointing.”

Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who is facing criticism over the LCS scandal, has said the government put the LCS project back on track as decided by the cabinet.

He said negotiations with the contractor and banks are ongoing. 

The procurement of the combat ships became controversial following the report of the Public Accounts Committee (Pac) which revealed that not a single ship had been completed even though the government has paid the manufacturer RM6 billion. 

Under the RM9 billion deal, five of the six ships should have been delivered by August.

The PAC also said that the terms and conditions of contract were unfavourable to the government.

Universiti Malaya Prof Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi said PH has to bring up other issues if it wants to stay relevant in the polls.

He said BN had replied promptly to PH’s accusations by bringing the media to the construction site of the ships.

“1MDB was an international scandal. LCS is a domestic issue, a small issue.

“PH needs to talk about other issues and not focus too much on this scandal,” he said.

Dr Oh Ei Sun of Pacific Research Centre Malaysia said the LCS would not have the same impact as 1MDB on elections.

He said many voters are suffering from “political fatigue”.

“As the election is at most a year away, I don’t think it would have time like 1MDB to ferment in the voters’ minds.”

“Many who were previously angry over 1MDB have lost interest because of how slowly the trial is taking place. Fatigue has set in and many nowadays don’t even bother to vote,” he said.

Silence

For University Tasmania’s James Chin, the LCS issue has yet to grab the attention of the Malays.

Chin said the affair is not talked about among the Malays on social media and it is still too early to say if it will affect BN’s chances in the GE.

“The opposition is trying to portray this as a big issue and for the last week, we have seen many names exposed,” he said.

“But we have to wait. It is still early to say that this will cost BN.” – August 16, 2022.