Yayasan Selangor to decide deputy GM’s fate end Feb

Khalid had been criticised for the foundation’s extravagances. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — The Yayasan Selangor board will meet before the end of this month to decide the fate of a senior official over a controversial RM300,000 luncheon initially planned for last November.

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s political secretary, Faekah Husin, said the MB’s office had issued the foundation’s deputy general manager, Mohd Saifulruddin Sulaiman, a show-cause letter more than two weeks ago.

Faekah also denied a Berita Harian news report today claiming that the Yayasan Selangor deputy GM had been sacked.

“The show-cause letter was to ask him about certain allegations in the state audit report... on Yayasan Selangor’s luncheon,” Faekah told The Malaysian Insider today.

“He has already answered the show-cause letter,” she added.

Faekah, however, said she could not reveal the findings of the audit report or Saifulruddin’s reply as she had not read either document.

Saifulruddin had been asked last November to immediately go on a month’s leave to enable an independent probe on the controversy.

Yayasan Selangor had come under fire for planning to spend RM300,000 on its 40th anniversary luncheon, after the Selangor Sultan snubbed it over its exorbitant cost.

Former mentri besar Dr Khir Toyo had then accused Khalid of mismanaging public funds.

Selangor Umno deputy chairman Datuk Seri Noh Omar also claimed Pakatan Rakyat was “worse than Barisan Nasional” as it allegedly failed to practise transparency and avoid wastages.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has reportedly started investigations into Yayasan Selangor’s extravagant celebration.

Other allegations against the education foundation reportedly include the purchase of luxury cars; a RM170,000 buka puasa function; RM200,000 for clothes; RM320,000 on a Hari Raya event; and the closure of the Yayasan Selangor Skills Institute in Bagan Terap, Sabak Bernam due to insufficient funds.

Then-state secretary Datuk Ramli Mahmud has said the Selangor Sultan was told that Khalid, who is the Yayasan Selangor chairman, was not apprised of the costs of the event.

Yayasan Selangor is a state-run education foundation that transfers students from rural schools to those located in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and Sabak Bernam so that they can enjoy educational facilities more commonly available in urban areas. - Malaysian Insider