“It is to ensure that the administration under me remains committed, always focused on efforts to develop the country as has been promised by the Barisan Nasional Government to the people during the 13th general election”, Najib added.
His replacement told a press conference Tuesday: “This is a calling that I could not avoid”. As a party member that is responsible.
Four other ministers and a deputy minister were fired.
Cameron’s staff also made a point of briefing that the UK prime minister will meet senior figures in civil society, including anti-corruption campaigners, as a sign that he wants to hear their concerns about the conduct of the government.
A mouthpiece for the ruling United Malays National Organisation party, Utusan said Najib had met Malaysia’s king, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam, to present his new Cabinet to the head of state, whose role is largely ceremonial.
But opposition leaders are demanding more answers on 1MDB and have called on British Prime Minister David Cameron, who visits on Thursday, to bring up the issue in talks with Najib.
Over the past year a series of investigative reports have alleged that hundreds of millions of dollars of 1MDB money had gone missing in complex and murky overseas transactions.
The existence of the documents, which allegedly show $700 million was wired from entities linked to 1MDB into Najib’s accounts, were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
“It would be fine if he was removing underperforming ministers, but now he’s just removing those who questioned him”, said political analyst Wan Saiful Wan Jan, of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs.
He said the 1MDB fact sheet provided by the government to members of the cabinet wasn’t comprehensive enough and that he needed to get information on the fund from elsewhere.
Khaled said Muhyiddin was still the Umno deputy president and party members should therefore accord him due respect.
The Prime Minister, who has used his south-east Asian tour to campaign against the “cancer” of corruption, told reporters accompanying him on the trip: “It is absolutely right to go ahead with these visits”. Will I get fair redress through the courts if those two things don’t happen?
Najib thanked Muhyiddin and those ministers who were no longer in the Cabinet for all their work for and dedication to the government and country.
The man overseeing the parliamentary investigation into 1MDB, Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Nur Jazlan Mohamed, was appointed a new deputy home minister on Tuesday and said in a statement he would therefore resign from his committee post.
“The former Prime Minister or the views of former leaders can not be overlooked because he (Mahathir) is still active and contributing ideas”, he said. “During my service I supported all the government’s initiatives and the prime minister’s leadership except on the issue of 1MDB, where I have my own principles and stance in defense of Malaysians, the party’s reputation and national interests”.
