YOURSAY | 'TV sets should be the last thing you buy before the ship is built.'

PAC chief chides BNS chief's nonchalance on 'obsolete' equipment

OCT: Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS) chief executive officer Azhar Jumaat doesn't seem to know the difference between a screw and a nut.

A littoral combat ship (LCS) is no ordinary ‘sampan’. It is full of electronic and electrical engineering equipment. These types of equipment do have a limited lifespan usage.

Manufacturers and OEM (original equipment manufacturers) suppliers are very specific about the terms and conditions of their equipment.

The software and EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory) of such equipment must be constantly updated or else they won't function effectively and efficiently.

Keeping all these types of equipment in storage and not being tested means they can easily become obsolete.

The next important issue is comprehensive maintenance in keeping with the warranty and guarantee. It gives the impression that Azhar does not know about such advanced and sophisticated equipment and its operability.

The next phase is testing the command-and-control centre for linkage with all these equipment. I don't think Azhar knows what this means.

From my understanding, all these equipment can be classified as obsolete as they are more than 10 years old and most probably without support from manufacturers and OEM suppliers.

Our LCS fleet will become museum showpieces instead of the pride of the Navy. It's a shame that RM6 billion is wasted on six useless junks and the worst part is nobody is going to be punished for it.

MerdekaMerdekaMerdeka: "We have a committee that is looking into the assets (to determine) what still can be used, what assets are already obsolete and which assets require the warranty period to be extended,” Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation (BHIC) independent director Saadatul Nafisah Bashid Ahmad told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Meanwhile, BNS CEO Azhar made an earlier statement saying the equipment are “not obsolete but in the process of obsolescence...”

These statements represent the deplorable state of affairs and a reflection of the poor leadership at BNS, especially when its CEO came up with such a pathetic, lame rationale for all that inventory worth millions of ringgit just lying idle in the company’s warehouse.

Anonymous_47029368: According to Azhar, 60 percent of the first ship has now been completed. If it took 11 years to complete 60 percent of the first ship, then completing the remaining 40 percent would probably take another seven years.

When they hand over these ‘20-year-old ships’ to our Navy, shall BNS tell them to be happy about it? It may be better and easier for the government to start a new project for the Navy instead.

However, we must first nab all the culprits responsible for the LCS scandal and charge them in court to the fullest extent possible so that this type of scandal does not repeat again.

CitizenSaro: Even if combat items and equipment are not obsolete, why were smart TVs purchased for the entertainment of soldiers ahead of seaworthiness testing of a ship?

I would like to get an answer from Azhar about whether it was just mere irresponsibility or sheer stupidity or corruption or lack of oversight or pure unadulterated laziness from management that the TVs were purchased and stored.

I would not expect a CEO who has led project management in previous positions to be caught in this laughable (actually intensely sad) situation.

Guuunner: TV sets should be the last thing you buy before the ship is built.

It may only be television sets, but this tells us how the building of these ships is being managed from procurement to the building process - a total mess!

Cyclonus: Even handphones and laptops get upgraded every year. By the third year, their hardware components are obsolete, albeit usable. What more when it comes to this sophisticated combat hardware?

So, since this hardware has been sitting in the warehouse all this while, the return on assets utilised is a fat zero. Not to mention, putting our country's security at risk since we can't use them.

MS: Azhar has probably been instructed to lie, change his earlier narrative, and spin it such that the truth will be hidden.

Once again, this is evidence that former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak is involved - it’s his modus operandi.

It only means a deeper dive is necessary to uncover more evidence of his involvement. There’ll be a paper trail, emails and such. Someone out there will talk. Especially if it is for cash.

Steven Ong: Boustead was a striving British company but is now managed by an incompetent group of people who are ruining Malaysia.

Former defence ministers Najib and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi are waiting to go take a trip to Sungai Buloh.

Way To Go: The safety of our Navy and its officials cannot be left in the hands of Azhar or any others from BNS that have a vested interest in protecting themselves.

Billions of ringgit have allegedly been stolen or unaccounted and the construction is stalled for over 10 years with little to show. The contractors have shown little in the way of accountability for this dismal state of affairs.

The little we know of the LCS scandal is from the investigation undertaken by the PAC. The decision-making politicians at the helm at the time the project started and its subsequent failures are feigning ignorance.

As the matter of obsolete equipment is in contention, the naval authorities must come in to ascertain the safety aspects of these LSC ships, including their functionality as intended in the interest of the country and those that will stake their lives operating these ships in the defence of the nation.

Rakyat 622: Why have the TV sets been delivered when the ship is not even completed? Perhaps the CEO has his TV sets, air cons and fans delivered even before his new house is ready. Why waste storage space?

Furthermore, we can buy even newer equipment at cheaper prices later. I never knew those persons in charge are so grossly incompetent.

The TV may be a smart TV but the CEO is definitely not one. I think the warranty period for the CEO has ended and it’s best not to extend it.

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