Guan Eng hits out at Umno for ‘U-turn’ on Loke’s resignation

 The DAP adviser says Umno will shift its goalposts as long as it suits them politically.

DAP adviser Lim Guan Eng said Umno’s top two are contradicting each other on the issue of Loke Siew Fook stepping down as transport minister.

MALIM:

DAP adviser Lim Guan Eng tonight accused Umno of making a U-turn on Loke Siew Fook’s resignation as transport minister, following the commencement of former prime minister Najib Razak’s house arrest.

Lim said Umno was “full of contradictions”, pointing out that party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had praised Loke, the DAP secretary-general, describing him as a “man of principle” for keeping to his promise to step down.

“But today, there is a 180-degree turn by Umno which is now claiming (that Loke’s resignation) is disrespectful of the king’s powers (to grant pardons),” he said at a ceramah here, referring to Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan.

Earlier today, Mohamad claimed that Loke appeared to have questioned the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s constitutional power to grant pardons by resigning as transport minister.

He said Loke’s claim that his resignation was based on principle could instead be seen as a protest against the decision to grant Najib a conditional pardon.

Loke had announced his resignation as transport minister in September after Najib was granted a conditional pardon, but said it would only take effect when the former Umno president began serving his SRC jail term under house arrest, which began yesterday.

Lim wondered why Umno had never raised the matter before Loke’s resignation took effect.

He said Umno would shift its goalposts as long as it suited them politically.

“I think we have had enough of this nonsense. It’s time for Umno to leave (the unity government),” the former finance minister said.

He said he hoped Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim would ask Umno to leave the government to allow Pakatan Harapan to administer the country.

“(Kick them out) to prevent Umno from openly sabotaging us and using the government resources to topple the unity government,” he said. - FMT