IS UMNO prepared to lead the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition to a stupendous victory in the forthcoming 15th General Election (GE15)?

Can UMNO repeat its electoral performance as was the cases of the Melaka and Johor state by-elections?

Was the victory in these two elections the main reason why the party wanted an earlier GE15 or was it the impending judicial outcome of the corruption cases of some top UMNO leaders?

However, the possibility that court cases might be heard sooner rather than later has sent shivers down the spine of some UMNO leaders such as former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his former deputy Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The possibility of these leaders being found guilty of corruption is certainly there.

Recently, there is another major complicating factor that threatens UMNO’s plans for victory in the coming GE15.

This is none other than the corruption fiasco associated with the littoral combat ship (LCS) project that was commissioned under the former BN Government.

The project was intended to shore up the naval defence of the country with the procurement of six combat ships worth RM9 bil.

To date, RM6 bil has been disbursed by the Government without any physical evidence of the ships being ready for delivery.

Evidence indicates that building of the ships were marred by colossal corruption, changing of design plans, the overlapping nature of procurement contracts and others.

History repeating itself

The failure of the project has implicated senior politicians, private sector contractors, sub-contracts and civil servants.

The Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) has come out with a damning report as what possibly could have gone wrong in the multi-billion ringgit deal.

Apparently, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has concluded its investigation with the possibility of prosecution. However, procrastination of the MACC on serious matters of corruption is well-known.

The Najib Government lost the GE14 because of one main factor: the 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Bhd) scandal involving public funds worth over RM4 bil when the LCS project fiasco is more than twice the amount of the 1MDB scandal.

Now, both Najib or Zahid cannot wiggle out of the LCS by blaming the former Pakatan Harapan (PH) Government. The decision to procure the combat ships were made under the Najib’s administration.

Zahid was the former defence minister responsible for changing the design of the ships without consulting the navy. He cannot turn around to say that he was not the minister when the LCS project was launched.

Neither can he say that he cannot reveal information about the project due to national security implications. Politicians like Najib and Zahid will lie and continue to lie to save their skin.

Mother of all scandals

With the LCS albatross around the neck of UMNO, I am not sure how they are going to lead the beleaguered BN to victory in the forthcoming GE15.

Perhaps when UMNO was pushing for an early GE15, the scandal associated with the LCS project was not in the midst.

There was feeling that UMNO could ride the wave of 1MDB without much effort as was seen in the elections in Melaka and Johor.

1MDB scandal is still haunting UMNO and its leaders. The matter has not been disposed of as court cases are still pending.

Another appearance of mammoth LCS project corruption scandal threatens to compound and magnify the problems for UMNO at an unprecedented scale. It appears to be the mother of all scandals with UMNO appearing at the centre-stage.

I really doubt that UMNO can pull off victory in the GE15 with much ease as was the case in the state by-elections.

The multi-billion ringgit LCS scandal has come to haunt UMNO and others who might be implicated in the nebulous project. The scandal has made a mockery of public governance in Malaysia.

How the present Government is going to turn around the nation after this major debacle remains to be seen.

The LCS scandal implicating UMNO provides a golden political opportunity for the opposition to bury UMNO once and for all in the quicksand of Malaysian politics.

Is the opposition ready for this monumental task? – Aug 15, 2022

Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is the state assemblyman for Perai. He is also Penang’s Deputy Chief Minister II. 

https://focusmalaysia.my/combat-ship-graft-debacle-threatens-to-bury-umno-once-and-for-all/