Loke takes swipe at Wee, says 'DAP sec-gen keeps his word, unlike MCA president'

HANG TUAH JAYA – DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke has taken a swipe at MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, insisting that he had fulfilled his promise to resign as Transport Minister following the Kuala Lumpur High Court's decision allowing former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest.

Speaking at a Pakatan Harapan (PH) ceramah in Melaka Baru last night, Loke said his decision to relinquish the ministerial post was a matter of principle rather than political rhetoric.

He said he was unlike Wee, whom he accused of making threatening statements without following through on them.

"My friend, Umno president (Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi), was still in Turkiye at the time on a working visit. He made a statement saying: ‘Najib would be released. When is Anthony Loke going to resign?’

"Today, I want to tell Zahid, my friend sitting beside me. In the Cabinet, he sits to my left. I sit to his right.

"I want to tell Zahid, this is the DAP secretary-general, not the MCA president. This is Anthony Loke, not Wee Ka Siong. I said I would resign and I will resign," he said.

Loke said he had made clear that he would not remain in the position even for a minute once Najib was allowed to return home.

In a sarcastic remark, he suggested that Zahid might have become accustomed to MCA's approach and assumed that statements by DAP leaders would not necessarily be followed by action.

"Perhaps he has been used to MCA for too long. He thinks the MCA president does not practise what he preaches. He can make threats, but does not dare to act on them.

"This is the DAP secretary-general. We keep our promises. We stand by our words, unlike Wee Ka Siong," he stressed.

Loke had previously announced his intention to resign following the decision in September to grant Najib a conditional pardon, which allowed the former prime minister to serve the remainder of his prison sentence in the SRC International case under house arrest.

On Nov 6, he reiterated that his resignation would take effect once Najib was allowed to return to his residence to serve his house arrest sentence.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court on Nov 10 subsequently allowed Najib to serve the remainder of his prison sentence for the SRC International case under house arrest at his Langgak Duta residence, with immediate effect.

Following the ruling, Loke announced that his resignation as Transport Minister would take effect immediately.