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PUTRAJAYA: Public officials should not consider letters of support from politicians, including ministers, as directives or decisions.
It has been the norm for politicians to issue letters of support, and a regular practice for voters to seek such documents from their local politicians, said Deputy Chief Commissioner (Prevention) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Datuk Seri Shamsun Baharin Mohd Jamil .
“We have issued a statement on this issue before. It is normal for politicians to issue letters of support. However, public officials should not use these letters as directives or decisions, ”he told reporters after officiating at the second Malaysia Anti-Corruption Forum in Putrajaya yesterday.
Shamsun said there are standard operating procedures (SOPs) that public officials must follow and adhere to when it comes to approving applications or requests.
He was responding to a recent controversy involving Chief Minister (Defense) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who had issued a letter of support to the son of his deputy for appointment to the Pharmaniaga board of directors.
The letter, which went viral on social media, contained a handwritten note from Ismail Sabri to the Chairman of the Board of the Armed Forces Fund.
Ismail Sabri responded to the problem by saying that support does not mean it should lead to a date.
In his speech at the event, Shamsun said there is no need for business organizations to worry about the implementation of the corporate responsibility provisions in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Law.
Instead, he said, corporations should ensure that adequate corruption prevention measures are in place.
“MACC is finalizing a checklist that companies can use as a guide to develop their own graft prevention measures.”
It covers policy topics on gifts, political donations, and sponsorships, among others, and encourages business organizations to preserve corruption-free practices and activities in the operation of their businesses.
Section 17A of the MACC Act of 2009 was first published on May 4, 2018, but the implementation of the corporate responsibility law went into effect on June 1 of this year.
Read this story on our iPaper: ‘Public officials must follow existing SOPs for application or application approval’
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