THE Defence Ministry will build an arms excellence centre costing RM60 million in Kampung Bukit Cempedak Bintang, Kuala Chini, said Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said construction of the Tropical Testing Centre in Penyor subdistrict had been approved several years earlier during the Barisan Nasional administration and it is not related to the ongoing Chini by-election.

He said the project is divided into two sections with RM40 million for cost of construction and RM20 million for equipment.

“We are in the process of tendering,” he said when met after a goodwill programme with Malaysian Armed Forces veterans in Chini at Bandar Dara Chini here today.

Also present were Pekan MP Najib Razak, Veteran Affairs Department director-general Major General Dzulkarnain Ahmad and Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for Chini by-election, Mohd Sharim Md Zain.

Ismail Sabri said the purpose of buiiding the arms excellence centre is carry out tests and trials of weapons based on the local weather for vehicles and military equipment acquired by the Defence Ministry.

“It was approved not because of the by-election. I am merely announcing the status of the project. The people here are aware of the project and the matter had been announced before, it is just the status…

“Now that its budget has been obtained, it is currently in the tender process, when it is closing (the tender), when we are awarding the tender and the start of work,” he said.

He however did not explain when the project is expected to commence. – Bernama, June 28, 2020.