Armed forces chief appointment on hold amid graft probe

Malaysiakini : Army chief Hafizuddeain Jantan’s appointment to be the next armed forces chief has been put on hold, despite the appointment having been decided at an Armed Forces Council meeting and receiving royal assent.

“He has been ordered to go on leave to allow authorities to investigate the allegations against him,” said Defence Minister Khaled Nordin in a statement today, without mentioning the nature of the allegations. In the meantime, Khaled said Royal Malaysian Navy chief Zulhelmy Ithnain will be the acting armed forces chief, as previously announced.

The post of armed forces chief was vacated following the incumbent Nizam Jaffar’s mandatory retirement and the ongoing investigation against his successor, Hafizuddeain (above). Khaled previously said Nizam’s retirement is not related to the probe.

Veteran 1972 : Useless incompetents who only get promoted because they play golf and rub shoulders with the correct people. Promotions basically based on race and religion, don't know sh* t about soldiering. 

Read the book *Exigent Circumstances, a soldier's journey on a path less traveled* read the review by Commander Thayaparan. Not forgetting apple polishers and boot lickers, their sole qualifications being kulitification and being dick amputees.

JBond : If the chiefs of all government departments are not corrupted, then this is not Malusia. Six decades of grooming by that corrupt party where the politicians were mostly crooks. 

How else you expect their underlings to behave. Boss rompak, saya curi lah. Malu apa like that Banduanku followers say.

Truly Malaysian : See how this case ends. What about the 6 Littoral combat ships?

Real Harimau : You can take a man out of the jungle but you can never take a jungle out of the man. With this race corruption is never far from his heart. Is there an honest man left? 

Me : The Malaysia LCS scandal involves the failed RM9.14 billion procurement of six littoral combat ships (LCS) by the Ministry of Defence,. Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS) was paid RM6 billion without delivering any ships, despite project initiation in 2011,. The project faced massive cost overruns, mismanagement, and corruption allegations, with former officials charged with criminal breach of trust.  

Key Aspects of the Scandal:

• Project Scope and Failure: The government contracted BNS for six ships at RM9.14 billion, but by 2022, no ships had been delivered. The project suffered from significant delays, with the first ship not completed despite being launched in 2017.
• Mismanagement and Corruption: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) revealed that RM1.36 billion in advanced payments were made, exceeding guidelines. Approximately RM400 million was used to pay off old debts from previous projects, and 15% of equipment was found to be obsolete.
• Charges and Investigation: Former Boustead Naval Shipyard Managing Director and ex-navy chief, Ahmad Ramli Mohammad Nor, was charged with criminal breach of trust involving over RM21 million,. He was later granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal due to being unfit for trial.
• Design Changes: The Navy's preferred design (Sigma) was changed to a French design (Gowind) against their advice, which was argued to be less suited for combat purposes.
• Political Fallout: The scandal caused major political controversy, with opposition leaders (now in government) calling for accountability and a Royal Commission of Inquiry. 

The project has been deemed to have significant governance failures and issues with patronage and cronyism, with Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) demanding further accountability,. 

Read it all here......