UMNO MT members express regret over excessive speculations on 1MDB

Several UMNO Supreme Council (MT) members have expressed regret over excessive speculations made on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) issues.

Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, who is also Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister, said some quarters had also used the report from Sarawak Report portal and made excessive speculation on the 1MDB issues without knowing the basic truth.

"I believe there are many evidence which show that Sarawak Report has falsified the information and has used unethical approach to defame our leadership," he told reporters after attending the UMNO MT meeting here today.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is UMNO president, in a press conference after the meeting, said the government would take appropriate action against the portal soon after receiving the official investigation from the Thai authority.

Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the arrest of PetroSaudi International (PSI) Ltd executive, Xavier Justo, who was alleged to be involved in spreading inaccurate information about 1MDB, could be a real eye-opener to many people.

Ahmad Shabery, who is Communications and Multimedia Minister, said the people should seek to verify any news they read in the internet before jumping into conclusion.

"We are in the midst of gathering information about individuals who spread false information about 1MDB on social media to facilitate investigation," he said.

Last Wednesday, the Thai police were reported to have arrested Justo and charged him with blackmailing PSI, an international company based in Saudi Arabia, for its cooperation with 1MDB.

Another UMNO MT member, Datuk Bung Moktar Radin, meanwhile, expressed hope that UMNO would be able to strengthen its leadership line up for the sake of the country.

He said the negative perception of the public should be addressed quickly by the party so that the people would not continue believing all the baseless allegations hurled at UMNO.