Loke to resign as minister, others from DAP to stay

 The DAP sec-gen says leaving the Cabinet en bloc would trigger instability and allow the party’s rivals to achieve their plans.

DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook said the party still wants to ensure the government remains stable.

KUALA LUMPUR:

DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook will tender his resignation as transport minister following the conditional pardon granted to former prime minister Najib Razak.

At a press conference after a three-hour central executive committee meeting here this evening, Loke said he would be the only DAP leader to resign, to ensure political stability.

He said DAP is aware that certain factions want the party to leave the Cabinet as a whole to trigger political instability and allow them to achieve their political ambitions.

DAP refuses to entertain these “provocative” rivals, he said.

“We are aware that there are parties out there that are waiting for DAP to leave the government, so they can create political instability and cause Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to lose his majority support and then dissolve Parliament.

“DAP is well aware of their political games and their hope that we will make a decision that helps achieve their goals. But we will not give them the opportunity to do so. We don’t want to give ammunition to our adversaries.

“At the same time, we have our stand (on Najib’s conditional pardon). That stand is conveyed through my offer to resign,” he said, adding that he would submit his resignation letter to Anwar soon.

Loke maintained that DAP’s decision that only he should step down was a “responsible one”.

He also said his resignation, if accepted by the prime minister, would not jeopardise the transport ministry’s operations.

However, he said he would need some time to manage outstanding matters within the ministry before officially stepping down from the post.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had decided to allow Najib to serve the remainder of a six-year jail sentence at his home, provided he pays his RM50 million fine in his SRC International case.

Under the conditional pardon, Najib will serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, subject to the payment of the fine.

Najib, 73, has been serving a six-year sentence at Kajang prison after the Federal Territories Pardons Board halved his original 12-year sentence in February 2024. The original RM210 million fine was also reduced to RM50 million.  - FMT