Malaysia will receive a Turkish-made multi-purpose mission ship (MPMS) within two years, with a contract worth RM304.29 million awarded to Desan Shipyard.
This decision is seen as a safe step after the failure of the OPV project which left the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) crippled due to a five-year delay in the delivery of the ship.
The OPV project, which was signed in 2017, cost almost RM1 billion but has still not been fully completed, with only one ship, the KM Tun Fatimah, operating, while the other two are stranded with an additional cost of RM200 million needed to save them.
Money has been burned, but the assets have not been seen.
With a size almost equal to the OPV KM Tun Fatimah, the MPMS can operate for 30 days non-stop and is equipped with advanced technology such as UAV drones and a helicopter landing deck.
The government's decision to choose an external company with a stronger track record may have been wiser, but after RM1 billion was wasted, the people should ask – is this really a solution or just another episode of large-scale waste?
