Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke to resign over house arrest granted to ex-PM Najib

KUALA LUMPUR – The leader of Malaysia’s largest ruling party will quit Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Cabinet in protest at the Sept 18 decision to allow former prime minister Najib Razak to serve the remaining two years of a graft conviction on house arrest. 

But Democratic Action Party (DAP) secretary-general Anthony Loke said the party will continue to back Anwar, who leads the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, until he calls a general election due by early 2028.

“We feel (the house arrest) is difficult to accept, not just by DAP but many Malaysians. So, after discussing our response for three hours, the decision is that I will tender my resignation as Transport Minister to the Prime Minister,” he told a press conference on Sept 19 after a leadership meeting at the party’s headquarters.

He explained that “while others were ready at any time to quit their positions”, other DAP leaders would stay in their government roles “because if everyone resigns now then the government may fall”.

“We do not want to give ammunition to our opponents to try and threaten the stability of the nation and the Anwar administration,” he said.

Despite DAP continuing to be in government, Loke’s move is highly symbolic and follows calls earlier in September from ruling partner UMNO for Anwar to hold the general election earlier.

DAP supplies more MPs to Anwar’s multi-coalition government than any other party.

The DAP leadership meeting came after the Federal Territories Pardons Board on Sept 18 granted Najib an early release from prison once he settles an outstanding RM50 million (S$15.6 million) fine. 

Malaysia’s King, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor, chairs the Pardons Board. Members of the board, including Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh of DAP, can advise the King on pardons but the ultimate discretion lies with him.

“DAP respects that the King’s power of pardon cannot be questioned. However, we are of the view that in our country there are no legal provisions or precedent for a convicted criminal to be placed under house arrest,” Loke added.

DAP women’s chief Teo Nie Ching said Loke’s “courage and wisdom in making a bold decision at this critical moment speak volumes about his leadership and also reflect DAP’s longstanding principle”.

“In the interest of transparency and public accountability, DAP Wanita urges the government to disclose the official minutes of the Pardons Board meeting. The public deserves complete clarity on the considerations and processes that led to this decision,” she added.

However, some analysts said Loke should not have offered to step down from the Cabinet.

Adib Zalkapli, managing director of advisory firm Viewfinder Global Affairs, told The Straits Times: “If DAP really believes this government should continue until the end of the term, it should have stuck to the status quo and instead campaign against UMNO and PAS for pushing for Najib’s release.

“They can then contest the next general election outside of Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan coalition and show that they have independent views.”

He added that while it was noble for Loke “to fall on the sword and protect his party and the government, it unfortunately gives Malay nationalists an even more convenient target in (DAP) deputy chairman Nga Kor Ming”.

Nga, who is the Housing and Local Government Minister, has become a much-criticised figure among Malay-Muslim parties such as UMNO and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), which claim that he is anti-Malay and Islam.

Even before its latest decision, the DAP had earlier considered whether to leave the Cabinet. At its Aug 16 national congress, delegates deliberated over a resolution on whether to relinquish its positions in the federal government, but the party eventually decided to remain in power.

That referendum was planned after ruling coalition PH’s shock drubbing at the November 2025 Sabah state polls, winning just one of 22 contests, with DAP ceding all six seats it held previously.

DAP’s leadership had called for various PH electoral pledges to be fulfilled ahead of the referendum, including accelerating democratic reforms and clamping down on corruption and abuses of power.

PH has suffered further losses in state elections in Johor in July and Negeri Sembilan in August, with Melaka set to be the next test for Anwar’s coalition in a vote expected by November.

But Najib’s release, despite another 15-year sentence on a separate 1MDB case being appealed, is the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. 

PH had come out tops in the 2018 and 2022 general elections largely due to an anti-corruption platform, with the billion-dollar 1MDB scandal a key plank of its campaign.