KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 — DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke will resign as Transport Minister as the party’s response to the issue involving former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who was granted a conditional pardon to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
He said the resignation letter would be submitted to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim soon.
Loke said the decision was reached after a three-hour Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting to discuss the matter.
“I proposed this to the CEC, and we decided that I would resign as a response by the party to what had happened,” he told a press conference at the DAP headquarters here today.
He added that the resignation only involved his position as a Cabinet member, while other DAP ministers and deputy ministers would remain in the government to ensure continued political stability.
Loke said other DAP leaders, although willing to relinquish their positions at any time, would remain in the Cabinet for now as decided by the CEC to ensure political stability.
“This is a responsible decision as we do not want any action taken by us to result in political instability,” he said.
He said the resignation of other DAP leaders from the Cabinet could affect political stability and risk undermining the government led by the Prime Minister.
Loke said DAP was aware of the political manoeuvring by certain parties and their expectations that the party would make a decision that could help them achieve their political objectives.
“We will not provide them with that opportunity,” he said.
He added that plans and projects under the Transport Ministry would continue as usual, with his resignation not affecting the ministry’s operations.
Loke reiterated that DAP respected the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s authority to grant pardons, which he said could not be challenged.
His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia on Friday granted a conditional pardon to Najib, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, subject to the payment of a RM50 million fine.
The Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) of the Prime Minister’s Department said the decision was made at the 64th Meeting of the Pardons Board for the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya, held at Istana Negara yesterday.
