DAP's Loke Quits Cabinet Over Najib House Arrest — SkimNews
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- Anthony Loke said on Sept 19 he will tender his resignation as Transport Minister, citing the Sept 18 Federal Territories Pardons Board decision to grant former PM Najib Razak conditional house arrest for the remaining two years of his graft sentence.
- DAP leaders other than Loke will retain their Cabinet posts to prevent the Anwar administration from collapsing and to deny political opponents leverage, with Loke stating the party does not want to 'give ammunition' to rivals threatening national stability.
- DAP will continue backing PM Anwar Ibrahim and the Pakatan Harapan coalition until the next general election, which is due by early 2028, despite DAP supplying more MPs to the multi-coalition government than any other party.
- Najib Razak will be released from prison once he settles an outstanding RM50 million fine, with the Pardons Board chaired by Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor; DAP's Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh sits on the board.
- Najib still faces a separate 15-year sentence in a 1MDB-linked case currently under appeal, and his early release undermines PH's anti-corruption platform that powered its 2018 and 2022 election wins.
- Pakatan Harapan has suffered successive state election losses in Sabah (November 2025, winning one of 22 contests and all six DAP-held seats), Johor in July, and Negeri Sembilan in August, with Melaka expected to vote by November.
Why it matters: Loke's exit is the most senior DAP figure to quit Anwar's Cabinet and lands at a moment when PH has lost three straight state elections; Najib's house arrest directly contradicts the anti-corruption platform PH rode to power in 2018 and 2022, and with Najib still appealing a separate 15-year 1MDB sentence, the political cost of the royal pardon now sits squarely on Anwar's coalition.
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