KUALA LUMPUR: The handover of the first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) is still within the timeline as announced earlier, said Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

"We are holding on to what we have announced earlier. We are all on the same page with the Armed Forces chief, Navy chief, MINDEF, Boustead, Finance Ministry all the way to the Cabinet.

"We have the timeline from the beginning, firstly to assure the people that the LCS project must go on. Secondly, we will not protect anybody who is guilty if there is abuse and misappropriation," he told a media conference after visiting Sekolah Kebangsaan Kementah and Armed Forces Keluarga Malaysia Houses at Desa Tun Hussein Onn, here yesterday.

He was commenting on local media reports on the delay in the date of delivery for LCS in a special interview with Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) chief Gen Tan Sri Affendi Buang in conjunction with the 89th MAF Day yesterday.

In August, MINDEF was given six months to mobilise efforts to revive the project and he believed the first ship will be received by RMN in two years.


Meanwhile, Hishammuddin said his ministry is prepared for flood disaster.

He said MINDEF and MAF are also in the flood committee chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

"In terms of preparedness, we have no problems and are ready. We would be deploying MAF personnel and assets in case of floods," he said.

Before this, the Malaysian Meteorological Department issued a forecast that the country would experience continuous heavy rain from mid-November which could bring floods at the end of the month.

The weather is expected to give greater impact as the Northeast Monsoon would be active during the period coupled with the risk of continuous heavy rain as well as large-scale floods.

-- BERNAMA