(Aug 3): Former Kedah menteri besar Tan Sri Sanusi Junid has described the new Cabinet line-up as the "1MDB cabinet", saying it is filled with those who are out to defend troubled state investment vehicle 1Malaysia Development Berhad .

In comments posted on YouTube, Sanusi said the new Cabinet also seemed to be made up of those critical of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"What is clear is that those who are appointed to the new Cabinet are those who are vocal in criticising Dr Mahathir.

"As though the Cabinet is a 1MDB cabinet. A cabinet to defend 1MDB. A cabinet to reduce or cover any efforts to expose 1MDB.

"Its problems are not resolved yet. The interest from its bank loans still continue. Unprofitable  investments still continue. What has happened to the country?" said Sanusi, who was the Umno secretary-general and vice-president under Dr Mahathir's rule.

Last week, Datuk Seri Najib Razak dropped his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in a Cabinet reshuffle which also saw several members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the parliamentary body investigating 1MDB, being promoted to ministerial posts.

Muhyiddin has been critical of 1MDB, which has accumulated RM42 billion in debts in just six years of operation.

Sanusi, who was the seventh Kedah menteri besar from 1996 to 1999, felt Muhyiddin's sacking was not due to his criticism against 1MDB at the Umno Cheras division meeting on July 26.

"I do not think he was sacked because of the speech. I think the speech was the last reason because it takes time to complete the line-up to appoint a new Cabinet," he said, adding that what Muhyiddin said at the division meeting was just normal concerns which people had been talking about.

A former federal minister in the 1980s who had served under Dr Mahathir, Sanusi also gave his views on the appointment of four PAC members as ministers and deputy ministers, saying that this had effectively "crippled" the bipartisan panel.

He said said the ongoing PAC proceedings, which include an inquiry into 1MDB, are more important than a deputy minister's work.

"The four most active members in PAC have been elevated to be deputy ministers... PAC is crippled," he said.

He also spoke about the special task force currently investigating 1MDB, saying he was surprised that "someone" was "sacked" due to health reasons.

It is understood he was referring to former attorney-general, Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail.

"Normally a sick person will ask to be left out but this is not it. The person who is said to be sick for a long time did not ask to be terminated at all.

“He has performed his duties and suddenly he is sacked. This raises questions.

"We see from the results of the ongoing probe there are already arrests... and there are some who are wanted, who have run away.

“The people and the world are asking, my friends from overseas who are following the developments are surprised, why those who have been taken action by the task force to arrest this person... suddenly there is sacking."

He defended his former boss Dr Mahathir, who had been slammed by some Umno ministers for raising 1MDB issue.

Sanusi said unlike the opposition who raised this matter just to defeat Barisan Nasional during elections, Dr Mahathir raised it because he could see it that it can be an issue that would cause the coalition's defeat.

"Dr Mahathir sees this can cause us to lose, unless we ourselves take it up to resolve it," he added. – The Malaysian Insider