Faekah’s ‘support letter’ surfaces as rift intensifies
(Malaysiakini) – Correspondence among the Selangor menteri besar’s political secretary Faekah Husin, a law firm and a Selangor government-linked company (GLC) is now fodder for the anti-Faekah faction in the ongoing rift in the Selangor PKR.
Sel13.com, a blog critical of PKR and the Selangor government, published two letters yesterday that could put the embattled political secretary in bad light.
The post shows that Faekah had on Aug 10, 2011, written to a Selangor GLC director to recommend a law firm belonging to her relative for appointment on the the GLC’s legal panel.
The letter was issued with the letterhead of the Selangor MB’s office.
“The administration is of the view that (the law firm) should be given a chance as long as it does not contravene any company regulations,” she wrote in the letter, which was also copied to the law firm.
Malaysiakini is withholding the names of both the law firm and GLC pending their comment.
Faekah’s letter appears to have followed her correspondence with the law firm, dated Jun 27, 2011.
The letter from the law firm had sought her consideration to be appointed to the legal panel for Selangor GLCs.
“We hope you can consider our application and if we are given the chance, we will give our best service and will not disappoint you,” the partner of the law firm wrote.
The letter, marked private and confidential, was hand-delivered to the Selangor MB’s office and was received the next day.
Faekah: Ask the firm and GLC
Malaysiakini emailed and telephoned the law firm involved, but the partner who wrote to Faekah has been thus far unavailable for comment.
The person in charge of the legal department of the GLC is also on leave, and will only be back at work on Monday.
It is therefore uncertain if the law firm had indeed been appointed to the GLC’s legal panel as a result of the letter.
In response to Malaysiakini‘s attempts to contact the firm, Faekah in a text message said, “I think you should get info – details from (the GLC) and the firm itself.”
“How much (was the) project (granted) to that firm as a result of my so-called letter (worth)?” asked Faekah, who is also a lawyer by training.
She also admitted that the said law firm belongs to her niece and that she had indeed sent the letter.
“Besides that letter, I also signed a few other letters … from various law firms asking for the same,” she said, stressing that the GLCs involved would be able to explain.
“The letter shows transparency has been practised in our administration.”
In July 2010, Selangor MB Abdul Khalid called on all exco members, lawmakers and municipal councilors to stop issuing support letters for those applying for government jobs.
This followed a debacle involving a support letter by exco member Ronnie Liu and state contracts worth RM700,000.
Abdul Khalid had also in 2008 suspended his special officer Mohd Yahya Sahri for two months, when the latter was investigated by the Anti-Corruption Agency over support letters he issued using the letterhead of the MB’s office.
Mohd Yahya subsequently resigned, citing no confidence in Abdul Khalid’s leadership.
