On Sept 19, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that he would be tendering his resignation after former prime minister Najib Razak was granted a conditional pardon.
However, now it seems that Loke will be remaining in his position for the time being, unless a certain condition occurs and leads to his resignation taking effect.
Resignation based on Najib going home
Speaking to reporters after officiating the 2026 Malaysia Maritime Week, Loke said he had met with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim yesterday and submitted his resignation letter.
He revealed during the discussion, Anwar had implored him to remain in the Cabinet for now.
“During the discussion, he asked me to continue carrying out my duties for the time being. He would make the decision, but I said there also needed to be a timeframe.
So, the timeframe is that my resignation will take effect on the day Najib returns home.”
No replacement found yet
When asked whether his resignation would be invalid if Najib didn’t return home, Loke said he will remain in office as no suitable replacement has been found.
“The decision for me to resign has already been made. The matter of a replacement and related matters are at the prime minister’s discretion.
“We also do not know when he (Najib) will be released. It could be tomorrow…who knows? I do not know when he will be released either,” he explained.
Loke said his resignation was based on DAP’s stance on Najib being granted house arrest, something which the party strongly opposed.
Loke also said the Transport Ministry will continue to carry out its existing strategic plans, adding that “the ministry’s planning is not done at the last minute.”
More than a week ago, Najib was granted a conditional pardon which allowed him to serve the remainder of his sentence for misappropriating millions of Ringgit in the SRC International case under house arrest.
However, it came with a RM50 million fine caveat, an amount Najib must first pay before starting house arrest or risk going back to Kajang Prison.
As of Saturday (Sept 26), a total of RM9.25 million was raised by supporters, which is still a long way from RN50 million.
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