LCS scandal street protest takes place this Sunday

KUALA LUMPUR – Plans for a street demonstration over the RM9 billion littoral combat ships (LCS) scandal are afoot. The protest is said to be happening in front of Sogo shopping center in Kuala Lumpur this Sunday.

A group calling itself Jawatankuasa Protes Mana Kapal LCS (Where are the LCS Protest task force) has called for the rally, urging Putrajaya to fulfil three demands.

They consist of an immediate investigation of the scandal, the resignation of current Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, and answers from the government on letters of reprimand over the project by ex-navy commander Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar.

“There is no other way for the people but to all join and speak out so that the government takes immediate action,” the group said in a statement today. 

On Twitter, social media users are also promoting the protest this Sunday using the hashtag #ManaKapalLCS.

The group meanwhile, added that Putrajaya had failed to take any serious action on the scandal other than giving excuses and unreasonable answers by government party leaders on social media.

On the demand for Hishammuddin Hussein to step down from his post, the task force claimed that the minister failed to be transparent about the scandal. 

“His clumsy actions have threatened the country’s security and exposed us to enemy threats.”

They also described the government’s act of ignoring letters of reprimand from the ex-navy commander as proof that Putrajaya did not care for the views of the armed forces which have defended the security and sovereignty of the country. 

The group also called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to probe the scandal, urging that those responsible and who profited from the LCS project, on which more than RM6 billion has been spent without a single ship delivered, should be brought to justice immediately. – The Vibes, August 11, 2022.