Pakatan MPs (left to right) Dr Dzulkefly, Pua and Saifuddin outside the Mindef headquarters in Kuala Lumpur
The government said today that the price tag for six naval patrol ships appeared to rise from RM6 billion to RM9 billion as the cost is split into two Malaysia Plans (RMK).
Both Barisan Nasional (BN) backbenchers and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MPs told reporters after meeting top defence ministry (Mindef) officials this afternoon that the RM6 billion figure mentioned by Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in Parliament last year was “the ceiling for RMK10” which runs from 2011-2015.
“Another RM3 billion is under RMK11 as such huge expenditure needs to be spread out. But the price has always been RM9 billion since the navy first requested the six littoral combatant ships (LCS) in 2008.
“So the minister (Zahid) was right and wrong,” said BN backbenchers vice chief Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan.
Saifuddin’s turn to talk to media as Pua (centre) and Dzulkefly look outside the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Kuala Lumpur January 19 2012.
ides of the divide signalled their support for a parliamentary committee to oversee defence deals which have been a source of controversy in recent years due to their multi-billion ringgit price tags.
Pakatan Rakyat (PR) had proposed the panel in today’s meeting with the defence ministry (Mindef) top brass and the idea was “supported in principle” by backbenchers from the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN).
“The minister (Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) did not reject the proposal and said he will consider it. Even the BN backbenchers club (BNBBC) gave positive signals,” PAS research chief Dzulkefly Ahmad told reporters.
The Defence Ministry has identified one of its senior officers who was allegedly involved in a conspiracy to malign a government leader in connection with the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.
The officer has been relieved of official duties pending investigations.
Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) chief Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin said the military was conducting a probe into the alleged involvement of the officer, a colonel.
"Information supplied by the officer to blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin was false and it had never existed in our files," he said in a statement Friday.
The leaked cables cited at least three opportunities in which the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) should have notified the US of the missing jet engine
Putrajaya failed to inform Washington that two “US-supplied” F-5 fighter jet engines had gone missing since May 22, 2008, despite having at least “three opportunities” to come clean, according to leaked United States diplomatic cables released recently.
Whistleblower website Wikileaks released three US diplomatic cables on April 6, 2011, which revealed confidential dispatches over the stolen jet engines between US diplomats based here and in Washington. Two of the cables were sent in December 2009 while another was sent in January 2010.
FUTURE WEAPON...Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi handling the United States-made Colt M4 carbine at the Malaysian Industry Council for Defence, Enforcement and Security at the Royale Chulan Hotel in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. A total 130,000 units will be bought by the Defence Ministry to replace aging weapons currently in use by the army and police.
The Defence Ministry has sealed a RM700 million deal with the United States to purchase 130,000 new weapons for the armed forces and police.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the government had in 2006 approved the 5.56mm Colt M4 carbine, which can accommodate the M203 grenade launcher, to replace the Austrian-made Steyr AUG assault rifle.
SME Ordnance Sdn Bhd (SMEO), which began local production of the Steyr in 1991, had on Nov 19, 2007 undertaken the deal with American firm Colt Defence LLC to initially acquire 14,000 carbines, which were all delivered by June 2008.
The European-made Scorpene submarine is the first of two commissioned for a combined total of $961 mln
Malaysia's first submarine KD Tunku Abdul Rahman docked at Port Klang after its arrival this morning.
Malaysia's first submarine KD Tunku Abdul Rahman docked at Port Klang after its arrival this morning.
Malaysia's first ever submarine was delivered Thursday to colourful fanfare and a royal visitor, in an acquisition that the government said "completes" the country's navy.
The European-made Scorpene submarine is the first of two commissioned from French contractor DCNS and Spain's Navantia for a combined total of 3.4 billion ringgit (961 million dollars).
The second submarine is scheduled for delivery in late 2009.
The KD Tunku Abdul Rahman, named after the nation's first prime minister, sailed into a grand reception at the navy's deepwater Pulau Indah base in Port Klang, an hour's drive from the capital Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysian King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin was given a tour of the submarine, which set sail 54 days ago from the French port of Toulon, where the vessel was built.
Naval officials said the submarine would be based in Sabah state, on Borneo island, where it will undergo fine-tuning before it is deployed in search and rescue and military exercises.
The two submarines have long attracted controversy since the deal was signed in 2002.
Malaysia's opposition claims that a 540-million-ringgit commission was paid to a close associate of now-Premier Najib Razak in brokering the deal.
The prime minister, who also attended Thursday's ceremony, has denied there was any corruption in the deal, which was made when he was defence minister.
------------------------
The first submarine, KD Tunku Abdul Rahman, is named after Malaysia's first prime minister.
Both submarines can undertake a wide range of missions, including naval blockades, information-gathering and landing or retrieval of commandos.
They can operate alone or in combination with air and sea forces.
The new generation diesel-powered Scorpene has been hailed as a benchmark in the world conventional submarine market.
It is capable of operating in coastal waters and the high seas. It is armed with wire-guided torpedoes and Exocet SM39 sub-launched, anti-surface-ship missiles.
Malaysia is the second customer for the vessel after Chile, while India is acquiring it under a slightly different deal since it is building it in its own dockyard under licence.
