Support Letter Was Vague Not An Instruction Pm Says

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Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the support letter issued by one of his political aides was “vague” and did not constitute an instruction.
He was responding to former minister Rafizi Ramli’s call for him to take firm action against Shamsul Iskandar Akin for issuing a support letter last year.
The letter was addressed to a health minister aide, asking for six contractors to be considered for the Muar hospital project.
Anwar pointed out that the project’s approval process was not influenced by the letter, as the relevant authorities were fully aware of standard procedures.
“Look at the letter first. Rafizi is taking a rather hard line… I understand.
ADS“If we want to be consistent, many political secretaries, both past and present, have issued such letters,” Bernama reported the prime minister as saying today.
Two days ago, Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat that he reprimanded one of his political secretaries for issuing a support letter.
The letter was first leaked on social media last year and was later confirmed by Health Ministry Dzulkefly Ahmad in Parliament.
However, Rafizi was unimpressed by the decision to reprimand and urged Anwar to sack Shamsul instead.
Focus on bigger scandals
Stressing he is against the issuance of support letters, Anwar said any response to such matters should be proportionate.
“Reprimand, we must reprimand. That is the process.
“We should not take harsh action just because the person is someone we disagree with, and then go easy on those who are aligned with us. We must be consistent,” the Tambun MP added.
Anwar stressed Malaysia must not lose sight of far bigger corruption scandals that have seen billions of ringgit siphoned off.
“If you want to be strong against corruption, then act against corruption. There are major issues… billions being stolen.
“To me, this is more serious. You allow billions to be ‘absconded’ but pick on petty issues,” he said.
Whether a stern warning was sufficient, Anwar said he had the authority to decide on internal disciplinary matters.
“I have the authority. I don’t need to be instructed by anybody, particularly if they are not consistent and do not highlight major corruption cases involving VVIPs.
“Going after the small fish may make you popular, but it does not give the desired impact,” he said. - Mkini

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