“FOR SOMETHING THE SIZE OF A PROTON SAGA TO DISAPPEAR SO EASILY IN A HIGH SECURITY AREA IS UNBELIEVABLE.

Swift action needed over missing jet engine

GEORGE TOWN: Swift action must be taken against those responsible for the disappearance of the F-5E fighter engine, a Penang Veterans Association (PVA) spokesman said.

He said the rakyat (people) were concerned because the theft of the engine involved a lot of money and they want those responsible to be punished.

“We want immediate action because who knows what else has been stolen.

“For something the size of a Proton Saga to disappear so easily in a high security area is unbelievable.

“We want to know the details of those involved and we want them to be arrested and charged swiftly,” he said.

Pakatan Rakyat Shadow Committee for Defence member Liew Chin Tong called for the establishment of an external inquiry.

“An internal inquiry is grossly inadequate.

“We need an external inquiry -- either in the form of a Parliamentary Select Committee or a Royal Commission -- to investigate the disappearance of the F-5E fighter engine,” Liew, who is also the Bukit Bendera Member of Parliament, said in a press statement on Monday.

He said an external inquiry was necessary not only to determine the details of the “shocking incident” but also to uncover how it was allowed to happen.

“An external inquiry would ensure accountability so that appropriate action can be taken against those responsible.

“The implications of this incident strike at the heart of the security sector of the nation -- no one knows how many other military assets were stolen in this manner.

“This fighter jet engine could just be the tip of the iceberg,” he said.

A F-5E fighter jet engine worth about RM50mil went missing from the Matra 1 Warehouse at the Sungai Besi Airbase in 2007.

The service and maintenance record of the engine was also reported missing, and is believed to have been sold to another party in Europe.

Earlier Monday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said there has not and will not be any effort by the Defence Ministry (Mindef) or the Royal Malaysia Air Force (RMAF) to cover up the theft and sale of the RM50mil fighter jet engine.

He said Mindef and the RMAF had reported the theft to the police immediately after it was discovered and also cooperated with the police so that matter could be investigated thoroughly.