adminKUALA LUMPUR: UMNO Youth has questioned the action of re-associating Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi with the latest developments in the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) project.
UMNO Youth Exco, Fadzmel Fadzil said that DAP Advisor Lim Guan Eng’s statement linking LCS with Ahmad Zahid was described as an attempt to revive an old narrative that confused the development of the project over a period of more than a decade.
He said the LCS project had gone through various administrative stages, including review processes, investigations, forensic audits, legal action and restructuring by the government.
“At the initial stage, Ahmad Zahid’s name was indeed tried to be associated with the LCS project based on documents and initial decisions when he led the Ministry of Defence.
“However, the existence of notes or instructions at that stage does not mean that the entire project has been approved or that all decisions thereafter have been made by him,” said Fadzmel in a statement here on Thursday.
Fadzmel also referred to the LCS Forensic Audit by Alliance IFA submitted in July 2020, claiming that the audit findings focused on aspects of governance, procurement processes, payments and project management.
“There is not the slightest finding in the forensic audit that places Ahmad Zahid as the party responsible for financial misconduct or the failure to implement the LCS project,” he said.
Fadzmel added that questions regarding the LCS project should be viewed based on the entire process that has occurred, including weaknesses in governance, contract management and project implementation.
Fadzmel’s statement was made following Lim’s return to questioning Ahmad Zahid’s role in the LCS procurement process after the Auditor-General’s 2026 Report found that the RM11.22 billion project was 7.55 percent behind schedule as of June 25.
Lim previously referred to a letter dated July 8, 2010 from Boustead Naval Shipyard to Ahmad Zahid, when he held the portfolio of Minister of Defence, which contained a handwritten note “SUB Procurement, please implement”.
-Agency
