Show accountability over littoral ship project fiasco, analyst tells Umno

Umno should show it is serious about accountability by asking former defence ministers from the party to publicly explain their decisions and oversight of the littoral combat ship (LCS) project, a political analyst says.

Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri of Global Asia Consulting said the party should also support an independent assessment of ministerial decisions, contract changes and corrective actions alongside scrutiny of the contractor’s obligations.

“Accountability does not mean declaring everyone guilty. It means demanding answers,” he said.

He argued that pursuing contractual penalties against the shipbuilder would not, by itself, answer questions about decisions made within the defence ministry.

“If the contractor is responsible for delays, impose the appropriate contractual penalties.

“But if ministry decisions contributed to those delays, who holds the decision-makers accountable,” he asked.

Between 2009 and now, Umno’s Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Hishammuddin Hussein, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Mohamad Hasan and current defence minister Khaled Nordin have all held the defence portfolio.

“Not every minister made the same decisions, and responsibility must be assessed according to their respective tenures,” Zaharuddin said.

He said Umno’s record in government carried an obligation to explain shortcomings in supervision and what its ministers did when problems emerged.

The project originally involved six ships costing RM9.128 billion, but was subsequently revised to five at RM11.227 billion.

The first ship, originally due in 2019, is now targeted for physical handover in April 2027.

On Oct 26, Khaled acknowledged delays in finalising certain contracts and changes requested by the defence ministry, but said the shipbuilder had also fallen behind schedule in its construction work.

He said a notice of demand for damages had been issued to Lumut Naval Shipyard (Lunas), which would be given an opportunity to explain the delays, and that damages would be imposed if its explanation was found to be unsatisfactory.

In its Oct 19 statement, Lunas pointed to supporting contracts handled directly by the defence ministry and Norwegian missile export restrictions, saying responsibility for the delays should be assessed through the contractual process.

Defence analyst Zaki Salleh urged Umno to acknowledge past oversight weaknesses and seek explanations from former defence ministers about the basis of their decisions.

He said the party could demonstrate accountability through several practical measures.

“These include providing open explanations, supporting independent scrutiny, and implementing policy reforms,” he said.

Zaki called on Umno to support Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigations and Public Accounts Committee scrutiny without dismissing them as political attacks.

However, he stressed that a fair assessment must also consider weaknesses in corporate governance and contract management, as well as external developments beyond the control of domestic political parties.

Security analyst Mizan Aslam of Global Peace Institute of London, also said Umno should assume responsibility for explaining how the LCS project went wrong.

“I want to know why this thing happened and where the money has gone,” he said.

Mizan argued that completing the vessels would leave unanswered questions about the time, money and resources lost, and who should be held accountable.

He cautioned against blaming Umno indiscriminately, but said the party could do more to ensure those responsible are held accountable.

Taking such steps could help Umno rebuild public trust, he added.

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