Is Rafizi mellowing his tone on the LCS scandal for the sake of the unity government?

SHAH ALAM - PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli is now singing a different tune with regards to the Royal Malaysian Navy's (RMN) littoral combat ship (LCS) project scandal.

Many on the twittersphere were left a little surprised when the newly appointed Economy Minister, who had been aggressively vocal on the scandal had tweeted that the project should be completed with remaining funds.

On Thursday, Rafizi said he had already exposed the possibility of irregularities in the project and following that, certain quarters had been charged.

"Investigation on the irregularaties is still ongoing, however, focus should be given on finishing two or three LCS with the remaining funds," he said in a short tweet.

He issued the statement in response to tweet from a Twitter user who questioned the status of his disclosure regarding the combat ship project.

Political analyst Dr Syaza Shukri said it appears Rafizi could probably be moving past this issue, as PH had already formed the unity government with their political allies.

The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)'s Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science said Rafizi's position in the new cabinet could also be a strong reason.

"If he continues to threaten and expose the alleged scandal, people will accuse him of still having an opposition mindset,” she told Sinar Daily.

His actions now proves that Rafizi is trying to be a good team player within this unity government, Syaza elaborated.

She added that there is not much that the Pandan MP can do now anyway.

Meanwhile Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) political analyst Dr Abdul Aziz Azizam is of the opinion that Rafizi had zeroed in on the issue of the LSC scandal as a sensational element in the recent general elections.

" This is why the public is puzzled as to what had transpired in this scandal but now he claims that it is under investigation? he questioned.

Rafizi was responsible for a series of revelations claiming that there were major irregularities regarding several companies which were involved in the project.

It was reported that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) revealed that the government had paid RM6.083 billion for five LCS to Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS) for the negotiation of the project, but no ships have been received so far.

A report released on Aug 4, listed nine conclusions towards the cause of failure in the construction of the six LCS worth RM9 billion.

On Dec 10, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan confirmed that LCS project will be continue but will be subjected to a review.

He was quoted as saying that the government would continue to build the LCS, as these were strategic assets for the armed forces.

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