Has Najib's pardon fractured M'sia's governing coalition?
Where will Najib get the money to pay the fine? And will there be other ministers resigning?
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was granted a conditional pardon on September 18, reducing his jail sentence to house arrest. This decision, which required him to pay a RM50 million fine, came after his original 12-year sentence was cut in half by the Malaysian Federal Territories Pardons Board in 2024. The conditional pardon sparked controversy and raised questions about the DAP's political goals within the government.
DAP Minister for Transport Anthony Loke, in response to the pardon, offered his resignation after a three-hour meeting with party leaders on September 20. Loke stated that he would resign to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the "soonest time possible" and expressed the DAP's concerns over the decision. The DAP leader emphasized that the pardon was difficult for the party and many Malaysians, but they respected the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's authority in making the decision.
In an interview with The Star, Loke expressed the DAP's stance on the matter, saying that the pardon raised concerns about the party's goals being met in government. Despite the resignation offer, Loke and other DAP ministers such as Hannah Yeoh, the Federal Territories Minister and a member of the Pardons Board, have not resigned. The resignation offer was not intended to cause the collapse of the federal government, as other DAP ministers intended to remain in their positions.
Written by urgent.news from Mothership's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
