SHANGHAI, Sept 23 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he will not rush into deciding on DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke’s offer to resign as Transport Minister, saying he wants to hear Loke’s explanation first.
“I am giving him space. I don’t want to rush because I respect his decision,” Anwar said, adding that he has not had the opportunity to talk to Loke.
Loke offered to resign following a DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting on Saturday, in response to the conditional pardon granted to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Anwar said DAP should not bow to parties pushing it to withdraw from government, arguing that such pressure is aimed at destabilising the Unity Government.
“Some people ask, why (just) Anthony Loke? (They say) all DAP (ministers and deputy ministers) should leave. Whose suggestion is that? Why should he leave? He did nothing wrong. He was not the one who proposed (the pardon). In fact, he tried his best to oppose it.
“I think DAP should not bow to pressure from those with vested interests who want the government to become unstable. They are looking for ways to weaken the government with these dirty tactics,” he told Malaysian reporters while travelling by high-speed train to Hangzhou after attending WorldSkills Shanghai today.
Anwar, who is also finance minister, is on a three-day working visit to Shanghai and Hangzhou.
Loke is also in China for the 12th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Transport Ministers’ Meeting in Beijing on Monday and yesterday.
Anwar said Loke’s resignation should not be interpreted as opposition to the Madani Government or DAP’s cooperation within the Unity Government.
He said he understands that Loke’s decision is based on his anti-corruption principles, which are similar to his own.
On September 18, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, granted Najib a conditional pardon, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028, if he pays a RM50 million fine.
