“He will make a decision, but I said there also needs to be a timeframe. So the timeframe is that when Najib returns home, my resignation will take effect,” Loke told reporters on Tuesday. Loke acknowledged that the exact date of Najib’s release is currently unknown, stating, “Maybe he will be released tomorrow. Who knows? How would we know? I also do not know when he will be released.”
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, speaking on Tuesday after launching the inaugural Malaysia Professional Day conference, said he would discuss Loke’s decision to step down. Anwar noted that he had been in a rush to attend the funeral of Tun Dr Siti Hasmah at the time Loke submitted the letter. “What’s the problem? His work has been good, his performance as a minister is also good. So I will discuss this,” Anwar said.
Loke explained that his resignation is a collective decision by the Democratic Action Party (DAP) to convey its disagreement with the conditional pardon granted to Najib. The DAP is a component party of the Pakatan Harapan coalition, which governs alongside Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). Loke reiterated that the DAP will remain part of the federal unity government, with its other ministers continuing to serve in the Cabinet.
The conditional pardon was granted after the Federal Territories Pardons Board, chaired by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, met on September 18. The pardon allows Najib, 73, to serve the remainder of his jail term at home until August 23, 2028. The release is subject to Najib settling a fine of RM50 million (approximately US$12.2 million).
Najib has been serving a 12-year jail term at Kajang Prison following his conviction in the SRC International case in August 2022. In 2024, the Pardons Board had previously halved his original sentence to six years and reduced his fine from RM210 million to RM50 million. Loke described the conditional pardon as “difficult to accept for DAP and many Malaysians,” adding that the scandal involving state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) represents a “major crisis that DAP has consistently fought against.”
Najib’s political party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), has begun crowdfunding efforts to help pay the fine, raising approximately RM9.25 million so far. The next significant procedural step will be the formal implementation of the house arrest, which will trigger Loke’s resignation and require the Prime Minister to appoint a successor or reassign the portfolio.
