The Pandan MP said the matter could have been an opportunity for the prime minister to show his commitment to fighting graft.
“That’s what should have happened. Don’t reprimand. Just sack him,” he said in a video on Facebook.
The New Straits Times reported Anwar as telling the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday that he had reprimanded his political secretary as government regulations did not permit the issuance of such support letters.
Anwar had said he could only remark “please review” even for letters addressed to him and contracts could be scrutinised but not given “automatic” support.
He had said this during Minister’s Question Time in response to Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas), who raised the issue of Anwar’s political secretary listing six contractors in a support letter for an unspecified hospital project.
The PAS leader claimed that only two of the six contractors were qualified, while the others lacked the Construction Industry Development Board records.
Rafizi said Anwar’s answer lacked “oomph”, given that the letter in question came to light last year and health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad had verified its authenticity.
“To this day, he has never left talk of fighting corruption out of his speeches.
“When we were in the opposition, the people understood we were powerless. Now that we have been in the government for three years, we cannot blame them if they hope to see the results of anti-corruption efforts,” he said.
Rafizi claimed that he had previously discussed several similar matters with Anwar, who had told him that he would check the claims.
“He checked them, and confirmed that what I said was true. But that senior political secretary is still there even now,” he said.
Rafizi urged Anwar to refer the political secretary in question to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to check when the letter was issued and if money had changed hands.
“If the person was strongly reprimanded but still remains in his position, no one will take your speeches seriously no matter how strongly you word them.
“You don’t want people to say that you say one thing in public, but do something else in private,” he said.