Anthony Loke Resigns as Malaysia Transport Minister, Effective When Najib Begins House Arrest

Anthony Loke, Democratic Action Party chief and Malaysia’s transport minister, submitted his resignation letter to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on September 28 in protest of the conditional royal pardon granted to former premier Najib Razak. Loke will remain in his post until Najib begins serving his house arrest, a timeframe agreed during his meeting with Anwar. The pardon allows Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence at home until August 23, 2028, subject to paying a RM50 million (S$15.7 million) fine.

Why Loke is resigning

Loke’s resignation reflects the DAP’s disagreement with Najib’s conditional pardon. The party views the pardon as difficult to accept because the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal represents the “kleptocracy” that has plagued Malaysia for a decade, Loke said. DAP decided that Loke alone would resign from cabinet to convey the party’s position without destabilizing Anwar’s government. All other DAP ministers and deputy ministers remain in their posts.

The timeline for Loke’s departure

Loke told reporters on September 29 that his resignation will take effect the day Najib returns home to serve house arrest. “The timeframe is that on the day Najib returns home, my resignation will take effect,” Loke said at Malaysia Maritime Week 2026. He emphasized there is no replacement yet and that the prime minister will decide on next steps. Anwar asked Loke to continue his duties for now, acknowledging that Loke’s performance as transport minister has been “very good.”}, {

Final Thoughts

Loke’s resignation is now conditional on Najib’s house arrest, which has no set date. Prime Minister Anwar has said he will discuss the matter further with Loke, though he questioned why media focus on the resignation rather than the underlying corruption issues. The move reflects DAP’s principled stand against the pardon while preserving government stability.

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