KUALA LUMPUR: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) plans to hold new proceedings regarding the progress of construction on the littoral combat ship (LCS) belonging to the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM).

PAC chairman Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said the proposed proceedings will begin as soon as the Dewan Rakyat approves the appointment of PAC members at the Second Meeting of the Dewan Rakyat session which begins on May 22.

"Once the appointment of PAC members is approved, I will call the first PAC meeting for the 15th Parliament and the first agenda will be in relation to new proceedings on the progress of LCS construction," she said in a statement today.

Mas Ermieyati said she is aware that the 14th Parliament PAC had presented the LCS Ship Procurement Report on August 4 last year and the Ministry of Defence secretary-general had given a response to the PAC on the seven recommendations of the 14th Parliament PAC on October 5 last year.

She said the seventh recommendation in the PAC report states that MINDEF needs to present a progress report on LCS construction every three months to the PAC.

"In that regard, I will suggest to the PAC that every three months when the progress report is presented to this committee, the PAC will issue a new report to be tabled in Parliament.

"But for the first proceeding (this), it will be known as the PAC Proceeding regarding the Progress of LCS Ship Construction from October 2022 to May 2023," she said.

She said PAC is expected to hold this first proceeding at Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS), which is the LCS shipbuilding company, and then hold a working visit to see for herself the progress of LCS shipbuilding.

Mas Ermieyati said she and PAC vice chairman Wong Shu Qi had also paid a courtesy visit to all seven permanent or ex-officio PAC representatives, namely the Attorney General's Chambers, the Public Service Department, the Ministry of Finance, the National Audit Department, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Ministry of Economy and the Accountant General's Department.

"All the ex-officio members of PAC were found agreeing to continue to establish close cooperation with the PAC in ensuring the transparency and credibility of this committee continues to be strengthened.

"I also gave an explanation to all the ex-officio of PAC regarding some of the improvements that will be made in the 15th Parliament PAC, especially regarding the secretary-general's Follow-up Action Report on the recommendations of PAC Report," she said.

-- BERNAMA