Call to probe letter to CIA

> Issue involves national security and tantamount to inviting foreign interference, says Guan Eng

KUALA LUMPUR: Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng ( pix) has called for a probe over a letter allegedly written by the previous government’s intelligence unit to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) several days before the 14th general election.

Lim said the matter involved national sovereignty, as the letter purportedly sought US support for Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s administration, that could be viewed as an invitation for foreign interference in the country’s affairs.

“How was the letter allowed to be sent to the CIA, on whose order was it done, and can an officer pen such letter without receiving any orders from higher up?” he said at the Parliament yesterday.

Lim also raised questions over whether similar letters were sent to other countries in the run-up to the May 9 polls.

“We don’t want this issue to be like 1Malaysia Development Berhad, where nobody admitted receiving funds from it at first, but it was later revealed that they did,” he said.

The letter had, among others, appealed for the US to support Najib’s administration, saying any indication that the US government would continue to support Najib and his administration would strengthen stability and enhance the existing cordial relationship between the two nations.

The letter also stated that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was against the US and its interests, as he was anti-West, anti-Semitic and autocratic, and disregards human rights and the rule of law.

Meanwhile, Najib denied any knowledge of the three-page letter, allegedly written on behalf of the Malaysian External Intelligence Organisation (MEIO) and signed by Hasanah Ab Hamid, who also led a unit under the Research Division of the Prime Minister’s Department.

The former premier said it was not his government’s policy then to make such letters public.

“The letter was penned by our intelligence unit, and it is not our policy to reveal such letters as it is a government secret.

“If we had revealed the letter, that would mean there is nothing we can consider as a secret in this country,” he said at the Parliament lobby.

Najib said the letter was not a diplomatic move, adding that it would not have affected the election results as it was done so close to the polls.

“The policy should not be to comment on leaks like this, because it brings a very bad precedence.”