PAC chief moots first proceeding on construction of littoral combat ships at Boustead Naval Shipyard in Lumut

KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 — The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will hold new proceedings on the construction of the controversial littoral combat ships (LCS) after the Dewan Rakyat sitting resumes on May 22.

Its chairman Datuk Seri Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said she will push for proceedings to start as soon as the Dewan Rakyat approves the new PAC line-up.

“The first agenda is regarding a new proceeding for developments in the construction of the LCS,” the Masjid Tanah MP said in a statement today.

Mas Ermieyati mooted the first proceeding to be held at the Boustead Naval Shipyard in Lumut, Perak, so that PAC members can see for themselves the progress of the LCS construction.

The Bersatu lawmaker noted that the previous PAC in the 14th Parliament had already presented the LCS acquisition report on August 4 last year, in which the Defence secretary-general made seven recommendations to the PAC last October 5.

One of the recommendations was for a progress report every three months so that the PAC can provide a quarterly update to Parliament on the construction of the ships.

“However, the first proceedings will be known as ‘PAC proceedings regarding the progress of LCS ship construction in the period from October 2022 to May 2023’,” she said.

Mas Ermieyati also said all the previous PAC ex officio have agreed to continue to cooperate closely with the new line-up to ensure transparency and credibility in the parliamentary watchdog.

She said the ex officio include representatives from the Attorney General’s Chambers, the Public Service Department, the Ministry of Finance, the National Audit Department, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Ministry of Economy and the Accountant-General’s Department.

Last month, Mas Ermieyati and her deputy Wong Shu Qi from DAP said they will ask the Dewan Rakyat Speaker to amend the Standing Orders and make PAC’s proceedings open to the public.

The pair expressed their belief that the committee’s proceedings should be conducted openly to ensure they are held in a transparent, accountable and credible manner in line with the institutional reform agenda that is currently the government’s main focus.