The former tourism minister said Wan Saiful Wan Jan was unfamiliar with the workings of the Prime Minister’s Department in disaster management, which was normally delegated to a deputy prime minister.

Since Ismail Sabri Yaakob has no deputy, the responsibility fell on Abdul Latiff Ahmad, the special functions minister in the department, Nazri said.

Nazri told FMT that Latiff, who heads the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), is from Bersatu.

“If you don’t know what you’re talking about, then don’t say anything. Don’t make a fool of yourself. You only want to attack the prime minister,” he said.

Earlier today, Wan Saiful called on Ismail to take on a more proactive role in leading the coordination of aid operations to flood victims.

“This was a huge disaster and he must shoulder the responsibility in helping the people,” he said in a Facebook post.

The government has recently come under fire with former international trade and industry minister Rafidah Aziz and the National Patriots Association criticising the slow response and its inability to properly address the needs of people affected by the floods.

Patriot’s president Brig-Gen (Rtd) Mohamed Arshad Raji also took Latiff and Nadma to task for their failure in addressing the major floods.

“If Nadma is claiming it was not set up to manage the flood situation, then disband Nadma and sack the highly-paid minister.

“This is not the time to shift responsibility to others,” Arshad told FMT yesterday.

Latiff had previously been quoted as saying that Nadma was not directly involved in dealing with natural disasters such as floods at the state level, and was largely responsible for providing compensation after being provided information by relevant state authorities.