Anthony Loke’s departure from the Cabinet remains tied to one event: Najib Razak returning home. That prospect became more uncertain today after the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) called for the former prime minister’s house arrest to be deferred.
The transport minister reiterated that his resignation would take effect immediately once Najib arrived at his residence to serve the remainder of his prison sentence.
Loke’s decision dates back to Sept 19, when he offered to step down following DAP’s objection to Najib being allowed home under the conditional royal pardon announced a day earlier.
He formalised his resignation in a letter to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sept 28.
Anwar asked him to remain in office until Najib began serving his sentence at home, an arrangement dependent on the settlement of a RM50 million fine.
That requirement was met today when Umno paid the fine. The Kuala Lumpur High Court subsequently issued an Order of Discharge on Payment of Fine, directing Najib’s immediate release while specifying house arrest until Aug 23, 2028.
Anwar said he disagreed with Umno’s decision to pay the fine but respected the legal process and the King’s constitutional prerogative.
Hours later, the AGC called for the transfer to be deferred, citing unresolved questions about the interpretation of the royal pardon and the High Court order.
Najib remains in custody. His lawyers have challenged the intervention, arguing that the AGC has no authority to prevent the transfer once the pardon conditions have been fulfilled.
Loke, who has headed the Transport Ministry since December 2022, said administrative arrangements were being made to ensure an orderly handover.
He also assured that scheduled transport programmes would continue regardless of his departure.
These include the East Coast Rail Link, scheduled to begin operations on Dec 12, and the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link, expected to begin services in February 2027.
Under Budget 2027, the existing My50 pass will continue for Prasarana commuters, while the new MyKomuter50 is intended to benefit around 40,000 KTM Komuter users.
Loke said he would remain a Member of Parliament and continue contributing to transport matters wherever possible.
