Amid Support Letter Debacle Bersih Raises Doubt Over Govt Reforms

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Bersih questioned the effectiveness of the newly passed Government Procurement Act, as a support letter was reportedly issued by a prime minister’s aide to the Health Ministry on behalf of contractors.
Bersih chairperson Faisal Aziz said the incident raised doubts about whether the Act can truly guarantee a better procurement process.
“As stated, the Act is meant to strengthen governance, transparency, and efficiency in the implementation of government procurement.
“But, how can it achieve what it promises if the practice of issuing support letters continues even after the Act has been passed in Parliament?” Faisal (above) said on X today.
ADSYesterday, former economy minister Rafizi Ramli criticised Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s decision to merely reprimand his senior political secretary, Shamsul Iskandar Akin, for issuing a support letter.
Rafizi said the move undermines the government’s anti-graft commitments.
Shamsul Iskandar AkinThis came after Anwar told Parliament on Tuesday that he reprimanded one of his political secretaries for writing a support letter to six contractors in a hospital project last year.
The letter, dated May 6, 2024, was addressed to an aide of Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad, asking for the contractors to be considered for the Muar hospital project.
The letter first leaked on social media last year, and its authenticity was later confirmed by Dzulkefly in Parliament.
Future reforms questioned
Faisal noted that the current government has announced plans for further reforms, but questions whether they will be free from corruption.
“Moving forward, the Madani government intends to implement more reforms, such as the separation of roles of the attorney-general and public prosecutor, the Ombudsman Act, Freedom of Information Bill, political funding legislation, and others.
“But what guarantees does the government offer that these upcoming reforms will truly close the gaps that allow governance issues and corruption to continue?” he added.
Faisal stressed that laws alone are insufficient without commitment, adding that reforms must be driven by “political will”, otherwise they will ultimately be seen as just for show. - Mkini

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