While embattled Umno president and Prime Minister Najib Razak boasted last weekend that 3 million members support him, some grassroots members still want to know the truth behind the 1MDB allegations.

“Rightfully the PM must let the public know where the RM2.6 billion funds that are alleged to have gone into his private accounts has gone.

“Explain to the rakyat where all the money has gone.

“That’s what the people want to know,” Lembah Pantai Umno member Mohd Najib Ahmad, 51, told Malaysiakini when met during the division’s annual general meeting yesterday in Kuala Lumpur.

Another member said the division supports their party president but is unsure of the truth behind the allegations.

“He has all round strong support from the grassroots,” said member Mimie Jariah Hanafi, 52.

“The grassroots actually love the PM.

“But others are saying the PM is evil, and we don’t know what the actual story for this is,” she told Malaysiakini .

'Wait for PAC report'

However, others in the division preferred to leave matters to the higher ups.

Lembah Pantai Youth chief Mohd Nazri Abd Rahman, 40, said he would leave the matter to the PM and await the full report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

“We as Umno members should actually be loyal to the leaders and we at the lower ranks leave it to the higher ups to clarify.

“We at the grassroots cannot give any explanation because we too do not know what the truth to 1MDB is actually,” concurred division member Azahari K Jamad.

However, in last week’s series of manoeuvres headed by a strategic cabinet reshuffle, Najib stalled the PAC after four of its BN MPs including PAC chairperson Nur Jazlan Mohamed were made deputy ministers, and hence had to resign from the committee.

Attorney-general (AG) Abdul Gani Patail, who was overseeing the special task force probing 1MDB allegations was also sacked, and some of the task force members are currently being probed for allegedly leaking information.

But most significantly, the two cabinet members critical of 1MDB, then deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin and minister Shafie Apdal were both axed.

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