Umno president Zahid plays down ship scandal, says Malaysia’s GE15 likely this year
The much-anticipated 15th General Election is likely to be held this year, said Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Sunday (Aug 14).
He said the Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob might have different expectations but he will definitely consult with Umno’s top five leaders.
“I am confident that he is a party man and he knows the best timing,” said Zahid, also the Umno president, in his closing speech at the convention of Wanita Barisan, the BN coalition’s women’s wing.
Umno’s top five leaders are Zahid, deputy president Mohamad Hasan and vice-presidents Ismail Sabri, Khaled Nordin and Mahdzir Khalid.
Zahid added that the general elections should not be delayed as more issues could crop up in the future.
“We know that they (the Opposition) want to turn up the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) project issue, like the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) issue during the 14th General Election (in 2018). But they are making a mistake, because we have countered it immediately,” he said.
The LCS project that is fast turning into one of the biggest financial scandals since the 1MDB debacle.
The BN government had in 2011 commissioned six LCS for RM9 billion (S$2.8 billion) without open tender, to be built by Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS) and delivered from 2019.
But the contractor has failed to deliver a single ship despite the government paying more than RM6 billion to date.
Directly under fire is Zahid, who was defence minister when the contract was awarded in 2011.
At a press conference later, he said next year would not be suitable for GE15 due to factors such as rising inflation.
The BN chairman, who is currently on trial for corruption charges, said the coalition had started preparations at all levels.
He also said that BN, which consists of Umno, MCA, MIC and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah, was set to go solo for GE15.
Prime Minister Ismail’s current administration is propped up by an uneasy alliance with the Muhyiddin Yassin-led Perikatan Nasional coalition.
Ismail had said he will dissolve Parliament once a study could provide some reassurance that the coalition has a chance to emerge victorious from GE15.
He said he wanted Wanita BN to conduct a thorough study to assess the mood on the ground for the coming polls. “We cannot go to war in the dark. We don’t know our strengths. How do we get voters on polling day if we don’t have this survey?” he said.