Malaysia’s Loke resigns as transport minister following Najib’s house arrest approval

Anthony Loke, the secretary general of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), said that the party could not accept the decision to allow Najib to complete his sentence in the comfort of his own home.The former prime minister is in jail for siphoning 42 million ringgit (US$10.3 million) from a unit of troubled state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). His term ends on August 23, 2028.“We have come to a decision that I resign as the minister of transport to the prime minister and this only involves me as minister,” Loke told a packed media conference after chairing a meeting of his party’s top leadership.King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar on Friday granted Najib a “conditional pardon”, in which the former leader is required to settle his 50 million ringgit fine before he can be transferred to his home to complete his sentence.The house arrest decision triggered widespread public anger against Anwar’s ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition – of which the DAP is a member – for giving up its reform promises to team up with Najib’s former ruling Umno party to stay in power.Plain-clothes police officers inspect the home of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday ahead of his possible house arrest. Photo: EPALoke said the party respected the decision made by the king, but stressed that it is something that the DAP and “many others” could not abide.The party’s central leadership, however, agreed that it would be sufficient for him as the party’s most senior leader to resign from government as a sign of the DAP’s seriousness on the matter, he added.