Prime Minister Ismail Sabri’s Ismail is irresponsible for prioritising the alleged verbal abuse incident by a senior government official at the KLIA, over taking urgent stern and uncompromising action against those involved in the RM 9 billion LCS scandal. Ismail Sabri said yesterday that the cabinet has instructed Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali to set up an internal committee to investigate the KLIA incident implicating Public Service Department director-general Mohd Shafiq Abdullah for allegedly verbally abusing an immigration officer.
Today, the government acted with surprising speed by forming a four-member high-level committee led by Attorney-General Idrus Harun to probe into the alleged verbal abuse. Other members are the Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani, Auditor-General Nik Azman Nik Abdul Majid, and MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki.
In contrast, Ismail has so far failed to make any comment nor taken any action since the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC)Chairman and MP for Ipoh Timor Wong Kah Woh published their findings last week seeking punishment against those responsible for approving RM9 billion to purchase the 6 LCS built by Boustead Naval Shipyard. In 2011, the government chose to change the Sigma LCS to GOWIND LCS against the advice of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Despite paying more than RM6 billion, not a single LCS has been delivered.
If such a high-level committee can be formed over the alleged verbal abuse incident in KLIA, why is a similar high-level committee not formed to act and punish those responsible for the RM 9 billion LCS scandal? DAP has no objection if the government deems such a high-level committee as necessary to probe an alleged verbal abuse incident, but similar attention and importance should be placed on the LCS scandal when RM 6 billion has been paid without getting even a single ship.
Ismail must realise that RM6 billion has been paid and probably lost without a single ship being delivered, is a matter of public importance that demands full accountability and transparency. The PAC report revealed abuse of power, cheating and even misappropriation of funds. RM 6 billion of public funds is a huge sum of money, and would definitely deserve equal if not more weight compared to the alleged verbal abuse incident.
The public wants action against those responsible since all the investigations have been completed by the PAC. And yet, the PAC findings do not even merit the formation of the same high-level committee as the alleged verbal abuse incident.Ismail’s unholy silence and inertia over the RM 9 billion LCS scandal is a sad reflection of his lack of a discerning heart to distinguish between what is right and wrong as well as what should be prioritised to govern the country well.