An Umno division chief has pointed out that Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin and vice-president Mohd Shafie Apdal have changed their stand on the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).

John Ambrose, head of the Penampang Umno division, was quoted by a news portal as saying that Muhyiddin and Shafie might have forgotten that both of them had voted in support of Sosma that was enacted by Parliament.

“They did not, at that time, oppose the law or speak out against it,” the portal was quoted as saying.

Ambrose reportedly made the remarks after Muhyiddin, the former deputy prime minister and MP for Pagoh, and Shafie, the former rural and regional development minister and MP for Semporna, attended a press conference organised by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday to protest the use of Sosma against two individuals who were charged with attempting to sabotage Malaysia’s banking and financial services.

Ambrose also reportedly took Shafie to task for allegedly accusing the government investment arm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) of insulting the people’s intelligence and saying that many details of concern to the people had not been addressed yet.

The Penampang Umno chief said that Muhyiddin and Shafie had been members of the Federal Cabinet until July this year and 1MDB matters had been discussed at Cabinet meetings.

“So, they cannot claim ignorance. In fact, Muhyiddin even chaired one of the cabinet meetings when 1MDB was discussed and the whole issue was explained,” he was reported as saying.

Ambrose said 1MDB, which had a new president early this year, presented its rationalisation and debt-reduction programme to the Cabinet in June, which the Cabinet approved.

He said it was made clear then that 1MDB would need at least six months until the end of this year to complete its rationalisation and debt-reduction exercise, and Muhyiddin and Shafie did not oppose this plan or disagree with it.

“Now Shafie and Muhyiddin talk as if they were never informed of the facts surrounding 1MDB and were never a member of the cabinet that approved the rationalisation and debt-reduction programme,” he was quoted as saying.

- Bernama