Yayasan Selangor general manager Ilham Marzuki today declined to comment on an allegation that the cost of organising the foundation's 40th anniversary celebration is more than RM800,000 instead of RM300,000 as previously reported.     

Instead, he asked the media to get information on the matter from the foundation's chairman, Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, who is also Selangor Menteri Besar.      

"Please get the information... as you all know... from our chairman Abdul Khalid Ibrahim," he told reporters after presenting prizes to winners of a fishing competition held in conjunction with foundation's 40th anniversary at Section 7, Shah Alam today.      

Yesterday, Selangor Umno deputy chairman Noh Omar had claimed that he had evidence that the foundation had wasted a lot of money in its activities.     

Noh also claimed that the cost for organising the anniversary celebration was not around RM300,000 as previously reported, but instead, amounted to more than RM800,000.     

On Friday, the Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor decided not to attend the celebration, which is scheduled for tomorrow in Kuala Lumpur, after being informed of the actual cost for the ceremony.     

Prior to this, Ilham was reported to have said the actual cost of the event was RM285,000 to accommodate food preparation for 200 dignitaries and 2,000 other guests.     

It is leant that ceremony has been cancelled.     

Meanwhile, Khalid Ibrahim said the foundation's deputy general manager Mohd Sharifuldin Sulaiman had been asked to go on a month's leave with immediate effect to enable speedy, fair and transparent investigations to be carried out in regard to the controversy.       

"The Selangor government appreciates any feedback that can help the state's administration and that of its subsidiaries to be carried out responsibly and transparently.  

"We will act without fear of favour against any person found to have broken the law or abused his or her powers," he said in a statement.     

- Bernama