KUALA LUMPUR – A day after detonating a political earthquake with his sudden resignation from Cabinet, Anthony Loke returned to the Ministry of Transport (MOT) this morning for an emotional, final appearance before hundreds of ministry personnel.
Arriving at the ministry lobby at 10.04 am, the former Transport Minister was received with warmth and sombre farewells by Deputy Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah, secretary-general Datuk Seri M. Jana Santhiran, and staff who had begun assembling as early as 9.30 am to catch a final glimpse of their outgoing boss.
Loke—attending the ministry’s monthly assembly at the personal invitation of Jana Santhiran—defied the tense political fallout surrounding his departure to also join the ministry’s Cahaya Kasih Madani Deepavali celebrations.
In a poignant, ceremonial moment before entering the main hall, Loke lit the Kuttu Vilakku, the traditional Indian oil lamp symbolising light and triumph over adversity.
The DAP secretary-general shocked Putrajaya yesterday by pulling the plug on his ministerial tenure with immediate effect, making good on an ultimatum he laid down last Friday.
Loke’s dramatic walkout was triggered by a Kuala Lumpur High Court ruling granting convicted former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak permission to serve out the remainder of his SRC International prison sentence under house arrest at his Langgak Duta residence—a move that has driven a deep ideological wedge through the unity administration. – November 11, 2026