DAP sec-gen’s Cabinet quit offer over Najib house arrest is his own call, says Umno veep Khaled Nordin

Kota Tinggi, September 20 — Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin clarified that former Transport Minister Anthony Loke’s offer to resign following former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s conditional pardon was his personal decision. Loke proposed to step down after the DAP’s central executive committee meeting, as part of the party’s response to the decision permitting Najib to complete his sentence under house arrest, while other DAP ministers would stay in the unity government to uphold political stability.

Khaled, who serves as Defence Minister, stated that the matter of Loke’s resignation should not be linked to the decision concerning Najib. He reiterated that the pardon and Najib’s house arrest were within the King's constitutional authority and affirmed that Umno accepted and respected the King’s decision. Loke explained that while he was willing to resign, other DAP ministers and deputy ministers would continue to serve in the government to maintain stability.

Najib received a conditional pardon on Friday, allowing him to serve the remainder of his six-year prison term under house arrest until August 23, 2028, provided he pays a RM50 million fine. The former premier, who had been incarcerated since August 2022 after the Federal Court upheld his conviction for misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International, saw his sentence and fine reduced by the Pardons Board in 2024.