Not all cabinet members were on the same page in clearing 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) of any wrongdoing, said an Umno source.

Requesting anonymity, the source with close links to cabinet members, said several ministers chose to refrain from endorsing the ailing firm.

"Among the reasons was that the briefing (for the cabinet) by the auditing firm Deloitte did not cover the figures that were the subject of scrutiny as well in the past.

"1DMB’s new head Arul Kanda told the cabinet that he could only speak about the firm from the point he took over (this year) and its future, but not the past," the source claimed.

Last week, the Prime Minister's Office issued a statement saying the cabinet, after the briefing, was satisfied that the debt-ridden firm had committed no misconduct.

It also stated that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had instructed the auditor-general to dive into 1MDB’s accounts.

However, the source claimed that Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's statement later underlined the sentiments among some senior cabinet members.

Apart from dismissing the possibility of a government bailout, the number two said the auditor-general must look into 1MDB’s accounts from the time of its inception.

Muhyiddin said this was because the allegations of dereliction related to transactions done since 2009, which were not included in the 2013 annual accounts audited by Deloitte.

However, Muhyiddin later claimed that his stand did not contradict that of Najib’s, amidst speculation that a plan has been put in motion to oust the prime minister. 
 
Divisions did not boycott Najib

In a related development, Cheras Umno division chief Syed Ali Alhabshee dismissed talk that 31 Umno divisions boycotted the meeting with the prime minister yesterday.

Syed Ali told Malaysiakini that the division chiefs could not turn up due to various reasons, such as prior engagements.

"This was a meeting done on short notice. So we cannot expect all 191 division chiefs to be present. What is important is that 160 were there, and this is more than two-thirds.

"These were all division chiefs themselves and not representatives. We requested to meet the PM and not the other way around," he said.

"Those who make claims of a boycott are attempting to provoke. Even in the past Muhyiddin  did not attend, so what is the problem?" he added, referring to questions on why the deputy prime minister was not present.

As for the meeting, Syed Ali said Najib assured those present that if someone was found to have committed any wrongdoing with regard to 1MDB following the audit, action would be taken.

"He (Najib) was very open. It was like a family gathering. He spoke from the heart and assured us that there would be no cover-up. There is a commitment to act," he added.

Asked if there were elements in Umno who also had a hand in the attacks on 1MDB, Syed Ali said "there may be one or two".

"When the opposition plays the drum, we are dancing (to the beat), we should not do that," he added, without disclosing names.

Syed Ali also called on 1MDB's board of directors to be more "responsible and responsive" to the allegations.