SINGAPORE, Sept 19 (Reuters) – The leader of Malaysia’s Democratic Action Party (DAP), the largest party in the ruling coalition, said on Saturday he had offered to resign as transport minister over the Pardons Board’s decision to place former Prime Minister Najib Razak under house arrest.
“I have proposed to submit my resignation as Minister of Transport to the Prime Minister. However, this resignation only involves me as a member of the cabinet,” said DAP secretary general Anthony Loke, who also serves as transport minister.
The announcement came a day after the Malaysian Pardons Board, chaired by the King, agreed to allow jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, four years after his conviction in a multi-billion-dollar financial scandal.
Najib, prime minister from 2009 to 2018, was found guilty of corruption in relation to the embezzlement of billions of dollars tied to 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a state investment fund he co-founded while in power. He has consistently denied wrongdoing.
DAP’s other cabinet ministers will remain in their posts “to ensure that political stability is still guaranteed,” he said.
While popular among ethnic minorities and progressive voters, the DAP has seen declining support amid criticism of the government’s handling of corruption cases, racial and religious issues, and concerns about its commitment to promised reforms.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s multi-party government, which includes the DAP as well as Najib’s UMNO, has seen growing rifts over the government’s response to issues of corruption.
(Reporting by Ashley Tang in Kuala Lumpur and Jun Yuan Yong in Singapore; Editing by Ros Russell)
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