MACHANG: The Auditor General's (AG) Report on the process of procurement of littoral combat ships (LCS), which is said to be at a low level, refers to the previous construction status and not the latest.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the construction of the LCS resumed as soon as the unity government took over the reins of government, even launching the first LCS ship into the water for testing on May 23.
"The construction of the first LCS so far is according to the schedule and planning set by the government," he told reporters after launching the Machang Umno division delegates meeting at the Bukit Tiu Knowledge Transformation Centre here yesterday.
Previously, the media reported an audit review found that the Royal Malaysian Navy's (RMN) procurement and acceptance performance until Dec 31, 2022 was low, compared to the target of 18 ships set in the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) and the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP).
The procurement total was much lower as only four ships were received or 22.2 per cent with nine more in the procurement process out of a total of six LCS ships, 10 littoral mission ships (LMS) and two multipurpose support ships.