Persatuan Patriot Kebangsaan (Patriot) said the letter sent to the CIA by the Prime Minister's Department under former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak's administration was as a treacherous and treasonous act.
In a statement, Patriot president Mohamed Arshad said the conduct warrants an immediate investigation by the government of the day and strict action against those involved.
He was referring to a Malaysiakini expose yesterday that Hasanah Abdul Hamid, the director-general of the research division of the Prime Minister's Department, had written a letter dated May 4 to then CIA director-designate Gina Haspel, appealing for US support for Najib's administration if BN won by a simple majority or even by a single seat.
The three-page letter had painted Najib as a progressive leader and a staunch supporter of the US while describing Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad as “anti-West”.
Najib has denied knowing about the letter, saying: “I am surprised. I did not even know of its existence. Not all letters have to go through me."
According to Mohamed Arshad Raji, the letter shows that Najib's government had pandered to both sides - by giving tacit support for China's dominance in the South China Sea, and on the other hand, covertly telling the US that Malaysia supported the US presence in the region.
"Criticising a political opponent as anti-West, anti-Semite and autocratic to pander for a favour is despicable, shameful and tramples the art of foreign relations to a guttering level. Only a leader and a government lacking all good qualities of leadership and good governance would stoop so low.
"Patriot implores the authority to launch an immediate investigation on the so-called intelligence unit and the officials concerned. All guilty persons should be seriously punished to set an example to all current officials in the government, security forces personnel and politicians that such collusion with any foreign officials or government is considered treason," Mohamed Arshad said.
He further urged the Harapan administration to investigate the purported involvement of Cambridge Analytica (CA) in the country's previous general election.
CA received international attention after it reportedly misused millions of users’ personal data on Facebook for political ends.
The data analytics firm was also accused of using entrapment tactics against political opponents, including sending operatives to offer bribes and springing “honey traps.”
