THE government will report the schedule and progress of the littoral combat ship (LCS) construction project in stages, said Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein. 

He said his ministry has been given six months to mobilise efforts to revive the project, and he believes the first ship would be delivered to the navy within two years. 

“We will look at how we can ensure that the promised ships are delivered to the navy and those who are guilty are brought to justice. 

“I will report to the public the phased schedule for the construction of the ships,” he said during a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Negara sitting this morning.

He said this in his reply to a supplementary question from Husain Awang who asked for clarification on the steps to be taken by the Defence Ministry in resolving the issue of procurement of the ships, as well as a supplementary question from Razali Idris who wanted to know the time frame involved.

Hishammuddin added that the government is also giving full cooperation to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in the investigation into the issue.

“Our cooperation with the PAC is total. We have already faced the PAC more than 15 times.

“The one who does wrong, still does wrong. If there is a violation or abuse of power, the investigation is ongoing and action will be taken against those involved,” he said.

On August 4, the PAC disclosed that the committee had held nine proceedings regarding the LCS issue from November 18, 2020, with the latest one on March 8 this year, by calling several witnesses. The proceedings found that the LCS contract was awarded to the Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd in direct negotiation, with the government paying RM6.08 billion, but not a single LCS has been delivered. – Bernama, August 8, 2022.