SHANGHAI (Sept 23): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he will not rush into deciding on DAP secretary general Anthony Loke’s offer to resign as transport minister, saying he wants to hear Loke’s explanation first.

“I am giving him space. I don’t want to rush because I respect his decision,” Anwar said, adding that he had yet to have the opportunity to discuss the matter with Loke.

Loke offered to resign following a DAP central executive committee (CEC) meeting on Saturday in response to the conditional pardon granted to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. Other DAP ministers and deputy ministers will remain in the government.

Anwar said DAP should not bow to calls from parties he described as having political interests for it to withdraw from the government, arguing that such pressure was aimed at destabilising the unity government.

“Some people ask, why (just) Anthony Loke? (They say) all of DAP (ministers and deputy ministers) should leave. Whose suggestion is that? Why should he leave? He did nothing wrong. He was not the one who proposed (the pardon). In fact, he tried his best to oppose it.

“So I think DAP should not bow to pressure from those with vested interests who want the government to become unstable. They are looking for ways to weaken the government through these dirty tactics,” he said.

Anwar was speaking to Malaysian media while travelling by high-speed train to Hangzhou after completing his programme at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 on Wednesday.

Anwar, who is also finance minister, is on a three-day working visit to Shanghai and Hangzhou.

Loke is also in China after representing Malaysia at the 12th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Transportation Ministerial Meeting in Beijing on Sept 21 and 22.

Anwar said Loke’s resignation offer should not be interpreted as opposition to the Madani government or DAP’s cooperation within the unity government.

He said he understood that Loke’s decision was based on his anti-corruption principles and that they did not differ on those principles.

Last Friday, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim granted Najib a conditional pardon, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, subject to payment of a RM50 million fine.

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