JOHOR BARU, April 18 — The Defence Ministry will ensure projects involving it will be completed on schedule, said Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

He said the ministry will work closely with the Works Ministry to carry out monitoring so that upcoming development projects will not face problems.

"The Defence Ministry will oversee the implementation of the project as a whole, while the Works Ministry monitors the technical aspects of the project to ensure that it is completed according to plan.

"Both ministries will also have regular meetings to see if a project will be on schedule. It is also to check on the contractor’s performance as well,” he said on the sidelines of the state-level 2024 Madani Aidilfitri celebration held at the Angsana Mall Johor Baru here today.

Mohamed Khaled was responding to the recent issue of a combat diving pool’s construction at Iskandar Camp in Mersing that was delayed.

Present at the event were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.

Yesterday, Mohamed Khaled was reported saying that the failure of subcontractors appointed to carry out tile-related work of the combat diving pool at Kem Iskandar in Mersing was the cause of the delay in completion.

Following that, the Kota Tinggi MP said the Public Works Department (JKR) is in the process of appointing a new subcontractor through an open tender for the pool’s completion.

On Monday, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, ordered the contractor responsible for building the combat diving pool at Iskandar Camp in Mersing to provide an explanation on the delay in completion.

Sultan Ibrahim, who is also the Colonel Commandant Colonel of the Special Operations Group (GGK), said the pool should have been completed in December 2022, but is still under construction.

Last Tuesday, the combat diving pool’s completion was said to be delayed despite being extended six times. The pool, for armed forces special operators training, was expected to be fully completed in June.