Malaysia's transport minister resigns over Najib house arrest decision

Malaysia's transport minister Anthony Loke has resigned from the Cabinet following the controversial decision to allow jailed former prime minister Najib Razak to complete his prison sentence under house arrest.

The Democratic Action Party (DAP) secretary general announced his departure directly to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, emphasizing that the decision affected only his ministerial role. "I have decided to resign as the minister of transport to the prime minister, and this only involves me as minister," Loke said.

Party members to remain in government

Other DAP members holding Cabinet positions will continue in their roles, Loke clarified. The party currently holds 12 government positions under the unity government and is the largest component of Anwar Ibrahim's Pakatan Harapan coalition.

Stand against house arrest decision

The resignation came a day after the Pardons Board authorized Najib to serve the remainder of his jail term at home. While the DAP respected the king's decision to grant the former prime minister a conditional pardon, the party and many others refused to accept the house arrest arrangement, which will run until August 2028 when Najib's sentence concludes.

Loke's resignation underscores the political tensions within the ruling coalition over the handling of Najib's incarceration.

Source: South China Morning Post