Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has asked Transport Minister Anthony Loke to reconsider his decision to quit the Cabinet, saying the DAP secretary-general did nothing wrong by opposing the conditional pardon granted to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Anwar said the exchange played out aboard the high-speed train from Shanghai to Hangzhou on 23 September, where he told reporters he would soon hear Loke’s official explanation and ask him to withdraw the decision, New Straits Times reported.
“Some people ask, why Anthony Loke? Why doesn’t the whole of DAP leave? Whose suggestion is that? Why should he leave? He did nothing wrong. He did not propose the pardon decision; in fact, he tried his best to oppose it,” Anwar said.
Anwar added that DAP should not bow to pressure from parties with vested interests that want to see the unity government become unstable. He also dismissed claims of a secret pact between the Prime Minister’s office and the Umno leadership over the pardon.
Loke made the offer on 19 September after a three-hour emergency meeting of DAP’s central executive committee at the party’s headquarters in Pudu, according to The Star. He said only he would step down, while the party’s other ministers and deputy ministers stay on to keep the government stable.
No formal resignation letter has been submitted, Malay Mail noted. Loke keeps his posts as DAP secretary-general and Seremban MP.
Anwar said he gave Loke room because he respects the decision. “I gave him space and did not want to rush things because I respect his decision. He is not opposing my decision or the Madani government or cooperation within the unity government,” he said.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that Loke and DAP have stood for years against kleptocracy and corruption, which made the Pardons Board decision hard for them to defend to their supporters.
Anwar said the issue and views on it had been conveyed to His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, including the firm position taken by Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar during the Pardons Board meeting. He reminded all parties that executive power has limits under the Federal Constitution and the final decision rests with the King.
The Federal Territories Pardons Board, chaired by the King, granted Najib the conditional pardon on 18 September. The order lets Najib serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest until 23 August 2028, subject to payment of an RM50 million fine.
Anwar is in China to meet Premier Li Qiang, while Loke is due to join his delegation in Shanghai before returning to Malaysia to settle the resignation.
