Loke announces resignation over Najib pardon — Channel NewsAsia
In Malaysia, Transport Minister and Democratic Action Party (DAP) leader Anthony Loke announced his resignation in protest against the conditional royal pardon granted to former Prime Minister Najib Razak. Other DAP ministers will remain in the government to preserve political stability.
Party decision
As Channel NewsAsia reports, the decision was made on September 19 after an emergency meeting of the DAP Central Executive Committee. According to Loke, party members spent three hours discussing and debating the matter.
The meeting took place the day after the Federal Territories Pardons Board, chaired by Malaysia's king, granted Razak a conditional pardon. Loke said that it was difficult for the party and many Malaysians to accept the decision, while the DAP respects the king's authority to grant pardons.
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The day before, he also stated that the party would continue to uphold the rule of law and fight corruption.
Terms of the pardon
Malaysia's Prime Minister's Office legal affairs division said that Razak will be able to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest, provided he pays a fine of 50 million ringgit, or $12.26 million.
The DAP has 40 seats in Malaysia's 222-member lower house of parliament. Besides Loke, the party's representatives in the government include Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Steven Sim, and Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming.
