Umno positions as 'cleaner' after Bersatu hit with more support letter scandals
Bersatu, which was hit with two support letter scandals in two weeks, has given Umno the opportunity to present itself as a "cleaner" alternative.
Taking to Facebook, Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki reiterated his position against support letters for government affairs which the MACC says could lead to corruption...
- UPDATED 1.30PM | Added comments from Steven Sim and Sim Tze Tzin on the deputy defence minister's support letter for his son.
Bersatu, which was hit with two support letter scandals in two weeks, has given Umno the opportunity to present itself as a "cleaner" alternative.
Taking to Facebook, Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki (above) reiterated his position against support letters for government affairs, which the MACC says could lead to corruption.
This follows a second support letter scandal in which a Bersatu deputy minister asked Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to back his son's appointment as a Pharmaniaga Bhd board member.
The Defence Ministry's Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT), through Boustead Holdings, is the major shareholder in Pharmaniaga.
Ismail, who is Umno vice-president, yesterday confirmed to Malaysiakini that he had received the letter from his deputy Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz.
Ismail said he eventually did not follow through with the appointment due to nepotism concerns even though he had initially scribbled his support on the letter.
"Umno Youth's position is firm - the practice of issuing support letters is inappropriate and should not become a culture," Asyraf said.
He also shared on Facebook an interview he had given this month, in which he had responded to an earlier support letter controversy involving newly minted Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal.
"Even though there are those who say that this (issuing support letters) is an old Umno culture, but I stress that this act was long cleansed after Umno and BN were out of the government for 22 months," he had said in the interview with Malaysia Gazette on Aug 10.
Asyraf was responding to a leaked video of Wan Fayhsal (above) a day earlier, where the latter promised to issue support letters to Bersatu members in exchange for votes.
Wan Fayhsal made the promise while campaigning for the position of Bersatu Youth chief, which he won against rival Mohd Muzzammil Ismail.
The newly elected Bersatu Youth chief maintained he had not done anything wrong.
Meanwhile, Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim said Pharmaniaga is a strategic company right now while the country faces the Covid-19 pandemic, as it supplies medication and medical equipment to government hospitals and clinics.
“The deputy minister’s act of giving a support letter to his own son and the note of support made by the minister on the letter is clearly an abuse of power.
“Abuse of power and political interference for the interest of oneself and one’s family will not only create losses for the company but it might be deadly for Malaysian lives,” he said in a statement today.
An Internet search revealed that at least two Umno leaders have been appointed as board members in the same company this month, he added.
Steven said this is a worrying situation and urged the police as well as the MACC to investigate this matter immediately.
In a separate statement, Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin said government-linked companies (GLCs) should be led by professionals so that the board of directors can carry out their fiduciary duties without interference due to political or personal interests.
“The reformation of GLCs was one of the main pillars of institutional reforms in the Pakatan Harapan manifesto so that the GLCs can achieve international standards,” he added.
During Harapan’s administration, he said that professional and corporate figures were appointed to GLCs, but these reform efforts were stopped when Perikatan Nasional (PN) came into power.
Now, he said, GLC positions are given to politicians to ensure loyalty to their leaders, as over 40 MPs and members from Umno and PAS have been made GLC chairpersons.
“This letter is very concerning because GLC appointments have now grown to include second-generation politicians.
“So these PN politicians act as if they think these GLCs belong to the families of the political elites instead of the rakyat,” he added.
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