Hulu Kelang assemblyman Saari Sungib claimed there was clear evidence that Ismail had ignored calls for help and federal intervention early on.

“Among the evidence is that he ignored pleas by the Selangor menteri besar (Amirudin Shari) asking for immediate aid when the floods were getting worse,” he said in a statement released yesterday reported by Malaysiakini.

“Was there bad faith or mala fide by Ismail Sabri towards the Selangor government?

On Tuesday, Amirudin reportedly said that he called the prime minister on Dec 17 – when the rains started – with an urgent appeal for federal assets to be deployed to affected areas.

The menteri besar claimed Ismail responded that this was not up to him and that it was under the purview of the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).

However, entrepreneur development and cooperative minister Noh Omar later said the Selangor government had access to federal assets such as the military via the disaster management committee chaired by the state secretary.

This committee, Noh said, consists of the state police chief, the state’s armed forces commanders and district officers, among others.

There have also been questions over who heads the committee, Noh himself or Amirudin.