Guan Eng hits out at Umno for ‘U-turn’ on Loke’s resignation

DAP adviser Lim Guan Eng criticized Umno for making a U-turn on Loke Siew Fook's resignation as transport minister. Following the start of former Prime Minister Najib Razak's house arrest, Lim expressed that Umno was "full of contradictions." He pointed out that Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had previously praised Loke, calling him a "man of principle" for honoring his promise to resign.

However, Lim claimed that Umno had now taken a 180-degree turn, stating that the party was now arguing that Loke's resignation was disrespectful to the king's power to grant pardons.

Earlier, Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan had suggested that Loke's resignation appeared to question the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's constitutional power to grant pardons. Lim noted that Mohamad's statement could be interpreted as Loke protesting against the decision to grant Najib a conditional pardon. The DAP adviser questioned why Umno did not raise this issue before Loke's resignation took effect, asserting that Umno would shift its goalposts whenever it suited them politically.

Lim expressed his frustration with Umno's actions, urging the party to leave the unity government. He called for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to ask Umno to withdraw to enable Pakatan Harapan to govern the country. Lim emphasized that this would prevent Umno from openly undermining his coalition and risking the unity government's collapse.