“Did they know? If they knew, why did they remain quiet? Because if they knew and kept quiet, they are making Umno and their party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi look really silly,” said former law minister Zaid Ibrahim.

“If they knew, did they agree? If not, they should resign from the Cabinet because this will affect their party.”

Zaid said it becomes even more significant if the revocation did not follow due process, as it would mean Umno is a party to fraudem legis, or evasion of the law.

Earlier today, law minister Takiyuddin Hassan revealed that all ordinances were revoked as of July 21 because the government decided to cancel them under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.

“That’s quite a shocking revelation. Did the Yang di-Pertuan Agong consent to the revocation of the ordinances by the government? If so, the government must show proof.

“And even if His Majesty consented, why was this important development kept a secret until today? Why the lack of transparency?”

Zaid said that, by now, Umno ministers must be aware of the criticisms of Takiyuddin’s revelation not just from opposition MPs but “very influential” Umno leaders, like Najib Razak.

Former prime minister Najib has criticised the “backdated revocation” of the ordinances, saying the government was running scared of facing a vote in the Dewan Rakyat.

In the Dewan Rakyat, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim questioned if the King had consented to the revocation, while Warisan president Shafie Apdal said the King should decide and announce the revocation rather than the government.

“So, the Umno ministers have a lot to answer for, not just to their party but the Umno grassroots. If they choose to remain silent, then I think it says a lot about their loyalty to their party.”