PAS, Umno give Loke a poke: Quit first, Najib’s prison exit can wait

PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has given DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke a pointed reminder about the sanctity of political promises, saying they should be honoured rather than put on hold while waiting for former premier Najib Abdul Razak to settle his RM50 million fine.

Tuan Ibrahim (above, right) said Loke should not wait for Najib to walk out of Kajang prison and into house arrest before making good on his pledge to resign as transport minister.

He said the issue was not whether Najib would eventually return home, but the fact that the Pardons Board had granted the former prime minister further clemency, a decision Loke and DAP had opposed.

“If they want to be seen as a party with integrity, they need to prove it. They do not need to wait to see whether Najib returns home or not.

“The question is, when the Pardons Board made its decision, he (Loke) objected and disagreed with the decision,” Tuan Ibrahim told Harakah.

Loke announced on Sept 19 that he had tendered his resignation as transport minister in response to the Pardons Board’s decision.

However, he added that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had asked him to remain in office until Najib returns home.

Anwar later lamented that the political spotlight had shifted towards the resignation of a minister he considered to be doing a good job, rather than the broader issue of corruption.

Promises must be kept

For Tuan Ibrahim, however, the matter is less complicated.

He argued that there was no need to speculate about whether Najib could afford the RM50 million fine attached to the conditional pardon.

“This is some kind of opera… drama…” he said, adding that integrity in politics should not be confined to questions of wrongdoing but should also extend to promises made to voters.

“Integrity is not just about corruption or abuse of power. It is also about promises. Don’t lie to the people.

“If you have made a promise, you have to fulfil it. If you promised to resign, then fulfil that promise. Let the people judge,” he added.

Tuan Ibrahim also took issue with Anwar’s remarks that the larger problem was corruption, arguing that the government should act against anyone involved rather than make broad accusations.

“If there really is ‘sapu’ (misappropriation), then as the government, take action. Who is alleged to have done it? Don’t make general accusations to the extent that everyone is labelled as having ‘sapu’.

“If there is really a case, bring it forward and take action. As far as we are concerned, let everything be transparent,” he added.

Umno piles pressure

Umno, meanwhile, delivered its own version of the same poke.

Party supreme council member Razlan Rafii said the public should scrutinise Pakatan Harapan’s promises, accusing the coalition of being generous with pledges before elections and more creative with the conditions attached to them once in power.

“Making promises and betraying those promises have become synonymous with Harapan. When it wants votes, all sorts of sweet promises are made to win the people’s hearts.

“Once power is in its hands, the promises become conditional, while the excuses keep piling up,” Razlan (below) alleged, according to Umno Online.

The day after the Pardons Board granted additional clemency to Najib, DAP’s central executive committee decided that Loke would resign from the cabinet to reflect the party’s disagreement, while its other ministers and deputy ministers would remain in government.

Loke said at the time that having all DAP ministers resign could jeopardise the stability of the Anwar administration.

Najib is serving a six-year sentence after the Federal Court in 2022 upheld his conviction on seven SRC International charges involving RM42 million. The Pardons Board reduced his original 12-year sentence and RM210 million fine to six years and RM50 million in 2024.

He was also convicted in a separate 1MDB case and sentenced to 15 years, which will begin after his SRC sentence, subject to his appeal.

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