Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said there is no one who could truly explain the 1MDB issue, even in cabinet.

Muhyiddin said he therefore had to get information from the media, including the suspended business weekly The Edge Financial Daily , and was rebuked for this by fellow cabinet members.

"I even had to ask the economists and businessmen to understand. I read The Edge as well to understand the issue.

"I was rebuked in the cabinet: 'Oh that (information) came from The Edge. It is not true.' But I was never told what is the truth," he said during his hour-long speech during the closing ceremony of the Cheras Umno division annual general meeting last night.

Muhyiddin said that his criticisms on the 1MDB issue were not an attempt at seizing power but a genuine attempt to resolve the party's problems.

He said even those who talked about 1MDB did not even understand what the problem faced by the debt-ridden company was and said Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is the only person who could clarify the matter to the public.

Husni and Rahman Dahlan not helping

Citing his cabinet colleagues Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah and Abdul Rahman Dahlan as examples, Muhyiddin said their repeated statements the issue have not been able to ease public concerns on the issue.

"Malaysians are not stupid. When the second finance minister and the housing minister talk to the public, their points are debunked.

"Who should tell you the truth? It is the prime minister. But he said wait for the PAC and audit report. So wait, wait and wait. I have yet to even read the (auditor-general's) interim report," he said.

On the interim report, Muhyiddin said it would be better for all the reports regarding 1MDB to be made public, as this would help to regain the people's trust.

"The PAC and audit report on 1MDB should be made available as soon as possible. I have no qualms if it were made publicly. In fact it is good to do so, for the people wanted to know.

In that sense, he said, he was happy that Najib had agreed that the special task force was formed to independently investigate the issue.

"The task force is not to find the blame but as the investigation is ongoing, we will surely find the culprits and punish them.

"The sooner it is done, the better it will be for the party and the government," Muhyiddin said.

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