Ministerial Drama: After Intending to Resign, Now Choosing to Stay
Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke has decided to temporarily postpone his resignation. This new direction was established on Tuesday (29/9/2026), where Loke and Prime Minister (PM) Anwar Ibrahim agreed that the resignation would only become effective once Najib Razak, the former PM and suspect in the 1MDB corruption scandal, begins his house arrest.
Quoting Channel News Asia on Thursday (1/10/2026), analysts view this strategic move as a well-calculated effort to limit disruptions to the cabinet and ensure the continuity of several key transport infrastructure projects.
This decision also provides breathing space for Anwar, while the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party, which supports Najib, continues its massive crowdfunding efforts to pay a court fine of 50 million ringgit (approximately Rp 219 billion).
Previously, it was known that Loke intended to resign after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, Sultan Ibrahim, granted leniency in Najib’s sentence. Loke felt that the decision was inconsistent with the anti-corruption spirit upheld by his party.
Political Tug-of-War & Party Reputation
Observers believe Loke currently has very little room to retract his decision, which was essentially made by the Democratic Action Party (DAP) in line with their anti-corruption stance. Failing to resign once Najib’s house arrest conditions are met is seen as something that would severely damage the DAP’s credibility.
Loke, who also serves as the Secretary-General of the DAP, first announced his intention to step down on 19 September following a central executive committee meeting, amidst heavy pressure following electoral losses in Sabah, Johor, and Negeri Sembilan.
Executive Director of the Ilham Centre research institute, Hisommudin Bakar, views Loke’s initial announcement as being very rushed.
“This may have been intended as a signal to Chinese voters that the DAP is a party that stands by its principles and that they can continue to place their trust in it,” he said.
“If Loke had decided from the start that he would resign because of Najib’s pardon, there would have been no need to attach further conditions regarding it. Doing so risks making the DAP look insincere and the entire episode merely a political drama,” concluded Bakar.
Meanwhile, PM Anwar questioned on Tuesday the intense scrutiny regarding his minister’s resignation amidst much more pressing corruption issues.
“What is the problem with Anthony Loke? The main problems are corruption, robbery, and the theft of public funds,” said Anwar.
“Those issues are not being raised, yet people keep asking why this individual is resigning.”
Senior researcher at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, Azmi Hassan, agreed that Loke’s sudden change of heart in postponing his departure has invited sharp public mockery.
“DAP’s political enemies have been mocking his resignation offer from the start, so they are unlikely to stop now,” he stated.
Fate of Megaprojects
On the other hand, transport experts agree that Loke’s departure will not have a massive impact on short-term projects, such as the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link Johor Bahru-Singapore and the 665 km East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), both of which are scheduled for commercial operation next January.
Associate Professor at the Department of Economics, National University of Singapore (NUS), Timothy Wong, noted that these projects are already very mature.
“These projects have been underway for a long time, even before Anthony Loke’s tenure as minister, and most importantly, they are near completion, so a vacancy or a new minister is unlikely to alter the remaining trajectory of these projects,” he explained.
Senior researcher at the Centre of Excellence for Railway Industry, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Nor Aziati Abdul Hamid, also believes that the RTS and ECRL projects, which are currently in the testing phase, are sufficiently resilient to political shocks. However, projects that do not yet have contracts, such as the Johor Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) and the Mutiara LRT Line in Penang, are considered at higher risk.
“Projects that have not been approved or funded are most dependent on political will and are the easiest to delay,” said Abdul Hamid.
“Without Loke at the helm of the ministry, it is unclear whether those projects will continue to receive the same priority,” added Wong.
Succession Candidates and Legal Perspective
Loke’s departure is projected to trigger several changes in ministerial portfolios, although analysts do not anticipate a massive reshuffle. Political analyst from University Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Syahruddin Awang Ahmad, believes Anwar will likely leave the portfolio vacant temporarily or fill it with another DAP candidate to maintain a stable party coalition quota.
Potential successor candidates from the DAP camp include Minister of Entrepreneurship Development and Cooperatives Steven Sim and Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Ming.
From a legal standpoint, experts argue that Loke’s resignation technically does not require Anwar’s approval. Constitutional lawyer Joshua Wu noted that Article 43 of the Malaysian Constitution does not explicitly detail whether a minister requires the Prime Minister’s permission to resign.
“Since there is no clear provision in the Federal Constitution requiring a minister’s resignation to be ‘with the PM’s consent’ or ‘after being accepted by the PM’, I tend to view a minister’s resignation as unilateral,” he asserted.
Lawyer Andrew Khoo agreed that the head of government does not have absolute power to prevent a minister’s departure.
“As Prime Minister and leader of the coalition government, Anwar may attempt to persuade Loke to withdraw his resignation. However, ultimately, the Prime Minister…