Was Najib the “hidden hand” behind the RM9 billion LCS scandal?

There is one question swirling in the minds of thinking Malaysians in the past week since the tabling of the explosive report of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the RM9 billion Littoral Combatant Ship (LCS) Scandal: – whether Najib Razak was the “hidden hand” behind the mega scandal.

Without reading and understanding the PAC report, which is a horror story of corruption, fraud, abuse of power, mismanagement and criminality in the public service, Najib had been very active on his Facebook in the past week to defend the RM9 billion LCS scandal and even to blame the Pakatan Harapan for the scandal. – which only reinforced the question.

Najib was the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister at the time in the procurement of the six LCS. What role did he play as Prime Minister and Finance Minister?

The UMNO President, Zahid Hamidi, was the Defence Minister from 2009 to 2013. He is one of the handful of people who would know whether Najib was the “hidden hand” behind the LCS scandal.

But nobody expects Zahid to tell the truth on the matter.

Zahid even tried to deny the undeniable and said it was unreasonable to pin the failure of the LCS procurement on him as he was not the defence minister when the project was awarded.

It was as clear as daylight that Zahid cannot disclaim responsibility for the LCS scandal, as evident from the fact he has avoided answering the question why as Defence Minister in July 2011, he overturned the decision as recommended by the Royal Navy to contract six Dutch-made Sigma LCS and chose the Scorpene manufacturer’s six French-made Gowind LCS without consulting the Navy, the end-user?

Can Zahid explain why it took nearly a year from October 2009 to May 2010 and six meetings with the Royal Malaysian Navy on the Royal Malaysian Navy ‘s recommendation to procure the Sigma LCS with the Defence Minister giving final approval on 26th May 2011 for the Sigma procurement, and why the decision was overturned in three days on 11th July 2011 because of the representation of the contractor, without consulting the Royal Malaysian Navy?

What is deplorable, reflecting Zahid’s contemptuous attitude for the armed forces, was that the Royal Malaysian Navy was not informed of the change from Sigma LCS to Gowind LCS but had to learn about it from the contractor, Boustead Naval Shipyard.

Who could make the Defence Minister to change in three days a decision which had taken almost a year and six meetings with the Royal Malaysian Navy to be made about the procurement of Sigma LCS and without referring the matter back to the Royal Malaysian Navy?

Another issue is the fraudulent launching of the first LCS in August 2017, where the Raja Permaisuri of Perak was misled into believing that the first LCS, named Maharaja Lela, had been completed, when even up till today, some five years later, the first LCS is still not ready.

Did Hishammuddin, who was the Defence Minister in August 2017 thought of the “prank” on his own or was he directed to go through with the prank by some “hidden hand”?

Hishamuddin can only blame himself in destroying his own credibility if his statement in the Senate yesterday that the first LCS would be delivered within two years is not fully believed.

Is Hishamuddin going to own up and apologise to the Raja Permaisuri of Perak and all Malaysians for his prank of launching of a non-existent first LCS in August 2017?

Bersatu and UMNO Youth have called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the RM9 billion six LCS scandal.

Will Bersatu’s nine Ministers and UMNO’s 11Ministers in the 32-member Ismail Sabri Cabinet support the formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the LCS scandal?

Bersatu has said that the real culprit behind the LCS scandal can only be revealed and punished through a transparent and credible RCI – so as to “ensure transparency in the investigation and nothing can be hidden by those who work in cahoots with the corruptors”

It said there was concern that the “hidden hands” behind the LCS scandal were trying to avoid responsibility.

The term “hidden hands:” was used by Datuk Dr. Mohd Tap bin Salleh, a member of the Special Investigation Committee on Public Governance, Procurement and Finance of the LCS (JKUSTUPKK) which was headed by then auditor-general Ambrin Buang, when he testified before the PAC on 1st Dec 2020, where he said:

“The first one is basically is the contractor driven in the sense that the end user was never taken very seriously in terms of their needs. Sebab itu kita nampak misalannya the change from SIGMA to GOWIND it was done within a few days and the negotiation of the pricing was also done within a few days, which is not possible. Unless there are hidden hands involved in this.”

Was this the reason why the then navy commander Abdul Aziz Jaafar told PAC proceedings on July 29, 2021, that “something is gravely wrong” when he spoke of the LCS design change from SIGMA to GOWIND and why his 10 letters of protest at the change of SIGMA to GOWOIND- five to the Defence Minister and two to the Prime Minister – were completely ignored, leading to his comment that “there is no precedent of the design being decided by the main contractor and not the end-user”.

Let Najib state whether he was the “hidden hand” behind the RM9 billion LCS scandal, as he was Prime Minister and Finance Minister at the time.

After the 13th general election in 2013, Najib as the then Prime Minister used Parliament to hide the 1MDB scandal.

Najib had tried to use 1MDB monies to topple DAP/PKR state government in Penang in the 13th General Election in 2013, and Jho Low played a strategic role in that failed attempt.

It was fortunate that the 14th General Election in 2018 ended the political hegemony of UMNO, which allowed the 1MDB scandal to be finally exposed.

In the 15th General Election this year or next, Najib is trying to return to power where UMNO leaders hope to cover up not only the 1MDB scandal but more scandals like the LCS scandal.

Malaysian voters have a clear choice before them in the 15th General Election – to help Najib to cover up 1MDB scandal, the LSC scandal and other scandals of his premiership or break free from the trajectory of a kleptocratic state so that Malaysia can become a world-class great nation.