PETALING JAYA: Condone support letters and possibly allow corruption to fester.

This is how national anti-graft watchdogs and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) advisory panelists feel about support letters for projects issued by Cabinet ministers and senior government officers.

Such support letters must be put to a stop, they say.

Centre for Public Policy Studies chairman Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam said MACC's guidelines on the matter were clear and it was a pity that some ministers disagreed.

"Having been a civil servant for 30 years, I know that any letter of support will be regarded with some trepidation by decision-makers and to those whose role is to make recommendations to the higher-ups.

"I hope the Cabinet decides to disallow this practice. The Chief Secretary can instruct civil servants to disregard such letters."

Navaratnam said it was necessary to do away with issuing letters of support as they amounted to interference or intimidation of the decision-makers.

Transparency International Malaysia president Datuk Paul Low said: "When you issue a letter of support, what you are doing is favouring that party."

The main reason people want letters of support from ministers is to get support for what they are applying for, be it for a tender or a job.

"The issuing of letters of support is not proper because we don't want this to influence the decision-making process. So, it will be good to not have this practice any more," Low said.

MACC advisory panelist Tan Sri Simon Sipaun said Federal ministries should adhere to the instructions set by the Treasury, which outlines the procedure for vetting applications for different types of projects and makes no mention of the need for a letter of support.

"If the letter of support does not affect the decision of the civil servants, then why do ministers and politicians waste time with it? What then is the point of issuing letters of support?" Sipaun said.

"If we want better governance, we should do away with such letters so that the people in office can put their time to better use than writing them."

Another panelist, Tan Sri Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas, agreed the practice should be stopped.

"Let the decision-maker's mind be totally unfettered."

Media reports yesterday said the Transport Ministry would with immediate effect stop issuing letters of support to individuals and companies bidding for government projects.

Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat had said that the move was aimed at instilling good corporate governance and arose from the exchange of ideas at National Key Result Areas (NKRA) laboratories.

Ong added that all senior officers, aides and secretaries, including his deputy ministers, would be told to reject letters seeking endorsements.

However, not all ministers share his view. They include Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas.

Mohd Shafie had said that issuing letters of support had nothing to do with corruption. Just because he issued a company a letter of support did not mean pressure would be put on those in the decision-making committees to approve the application.

Meanwhile, MACC said any support letter issued "with good intentions" and without the offer of, or request for bribes, was not corrupt practice.

However, it was against the law, MACC said, to issue a support letter to an individual or company in which the issuer, his family or his partners had vested interest.