KUALA LUMPUR — DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke will offer his resignation as Transport Minister to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim over the conditional pardon that includes house arrest given to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Loke said only he would step down from Anwar’s cabinet, while other DAP ministers would remain in office to ensure political stability.
Loke announced this at a press conference after a three-hour meeting of DAP’s central executive committee (CEC), which he said had accepted his decision to resign.
He said a resignation letter would be submitted to Anwar soon.
“I have offered myself to submit my resignation as Transport Minister to the Prime Minister. However, this resignation only involves me as a member of the Cabinet.
“The other members of the Cabinet who represent DAP, including ministers and deputy ministers, as well as those holding other positions, will remain in the government,” he said.
Loke said DAP respected the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s constitutional power to grant pardons, despite the party’s reservations over Najib being allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
“There has never been a precedent in this country that one convicted for corruption is given house arrest. However, we still accept the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s decision.
“However, as a party, DAP feels this is something that is difficult to accept, not just for the party but also for many Malaysians,” Loke said, adding that as such, the CEC agreed that only he resign as transport minister.
The decision was intended to balance the party’s position on Najib’s conditional pardon with the need to maintain political stability, Loke also said.
“Certain parties want to see us destabilise the government. DAP is very aware of the political games being played and their hopes for us to make a decision that would allow them to achieve their political ambitions. We will not give them room to do this,” he said.
However, the other ministers were ready to review their positions, if necessary, he added.
“The CEC has decided that, for the time being, they will remain in their positions to ensure political stability,” he added.
Loke said DAP had consistently maintained that accountability and justice should be upheld in relation to corruption related to 1Malaysia Development Bhd, which Najib oversaw as then finance minister and prime minister.
“The 1MDB scandal has burdened our country for the past ten years, and it is a very serious crisis.
“DAP has always fought for the truth to be upheld and justice to be served to those responsible,” he said.
Loke added that his resignation would not affect ongoing work at the transport ministry, saying “ministers come and go” and that the ministry would “function as usual”.
Najib was granted a conditional pardon yesterday by the Federal Territories Pardons Board, chaired by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until April 2028, subject to payment of a RM50 million fine.
He has so far served four years at Kajang Prison after being convicted of corruption involving RM42 million belonging to SRC International. In January 2024, the same Pardons Board reduced his original 12-year prison sentence by half and cut the RM210 million fine imposed by the court to RM50 million.
His party Umno is currently on a fundraising drive to raise the RM50 million for him to pay the fine – September 19, 2026