Scorpene submarines are fully operational, Navy chief reiterates

Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) chief, Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar has again reiterated that the Scorpene submarines are well maintained and capable of carrying out operations to maintain national security.

In fact, he said, the submarines had carried out numerous operations under his instructions.

“The matter is most regretful. I call on the people concerned to stop making these wild allegations,” he told a media group who were taken on a visit to the Kota Kinabalu RMN Base on Sunday and Monday.

The media group were also taken on a tour of the Scorpene submarines which were purchased from France at a price of RM3.4 billion. The submarines were named KD Tunku Abdul Rahman and KD Tun Razak.

Abdul Aziz was commenting on the statement by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi earlier that the action of several groups, particularly the opposition, who frequently disputed the acquisition of the national defence assets would only have a negative impact on the country’s security forces.

A crewmember of the KD Tun Razak submarine, Lieutenant Commander Saidin Ibrahim, 31, said he had long heard of allegations by the opposition that the submarines were not capable of carrying out operations.

He said the false accusation had in fact inspired him to prove to the parties concerned that Malaysia had acquired a valuable asset for the defence of the nation after he had undergone a four-year submarine training stint in France.

“I was among the crew members involved in the operation to bring home the KD Tun Razak submarine which took 60 days with five stopovers from France. It was brought home with 100 per cent local crew and had operated well,” he said.