COMMENT | Loke, if you want to resign, then resign

COMMENT | Anthony Loke has said he will resign as transport minister over the conditional pardon granted to Najib Abdul Razak.

His resignation letter has been handed to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, but Loke remains in office. He said the resignation will only take effect when Najib actually returns home to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.

If the resignation is based on principle, why wait?

The Pardons Board has already made its decision. DAP has already stated its position. Loke has announced his resignation and submitted the letter. Yet he will remain transport minister until Najib physically returns home. The decision involving Najib will not change when he reaches his house. Neither will the principle behind Loke’s resignation.

Nobody forced Loke to resign. Anwar has said that Loke has performed well as transport minister and asked him to continue carrying out his duties for now. There has been no dismissal, no loss of confidence from the prime minister, and no major public demand for him to leave. Loke offered to resign.

If Najib’s conditional pardon is serious enough for Loke to conclude that he should no longer remain in cabinet, then resign. But if he can continue serving today, tomorrow and until Najib reaches home, what exactly changes at that moment?

DAP itself is remaining in the coalition government. Its other ministers and deputy ministers are staying, and the party has not withdrawn support for Anwar. If DAP can remain in government and its other ministers can continue serving, tying Loke’s resignation to the day Najib returns home only makes the decision harder to understand.

Not a political protest sign

A ministerial position is not a political protest sign. It carries responsibilities that affect millions of Malaysians. The Transport Ministry deals with public transport, rail, airports, ports, road safety and major infrastructure projects.

If Loke intends to continue doing the job, then continue. If he believes remaining in cabinet is no longer consistent with his principles, then leave and allow someone else to take over.

The situation also leaves Anwar answering questions about whether Loke will stay or leave, even though the prime minister has already said he wants him to continue. There are more pressing matters for the government to deal with than deciding when a transport minister should leave office based on when Najib reaches home.

DAP has every right to disagree with Najib’s pardon, and Loke is entitled to take a political or moral stand against it. But opposing the decision and resigning from government are two different things. If he believes the issue is serious enough to leave cabinet, then the decision should be clear.

For ordinary Malaysians, there are also more immediate concerns. Is public transport improving? Are trains reliable? Are roads safer? Are major transport projects being completed properly? Are policies making travel easier or more difficult?

Some of Loke’s own transport policies and decisions have also faced public criticism. That makes this an even stranger time to create another political issue around his position.

If there are policies that are unpopular or causing problems for the public, deal with them. If there are weaknesses in the transport system, fix them. If reforms remain unfinished, complete them. That is what the responsibility of being transport minister is about.

Sending a political message?

Loke has previously shown that he can take political responsibility without making it complicated. After the Negeri Sembilan state election, he stepped down as state DAP chairperson after losing his seat. Whether that decision was necessary or not, it was clear. He resigned from the position.

So the question now is simple. Is Loke leaving the cabinet because his principle no longer allows him to remain, or is the resignation mainly meant to send a political message?

There is nothing wrong with a minister resigning on principle. There are times when resignation is the proper response. But it should not require this many conditions.

If Loke wants to resign, resign.

If he wants to stay, then stay and carry out the responsibility entrusted to him.

Either the principle demands resignation, or it does not. Najib reaching home should not change that.

MAHATHIR MOHD RAIS is a former Federal Territories Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional secretary. He is now a PKR member.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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