Aliran has released a statement on the latest developments:
The news has made headlines both at home and abroad, and for good reason. For many, this decision has crossed a red line.
The political significance of the Pardons Board’s decision can hardly escape the attention of various groups of people.
Ordinary people’s concerns should have a place in a democratic country like ours, particularly for those who value the rule of law and justice. The government must respond to these concerns.
Aliran believes the government’s professed fight against corruption will now be viewed with cynicism. It may give international observers the impression that the country has lost its moral compass.
It raises the question of whether this could lead to double standards and injustice in how our justice system is administered – one pathway for the rich and powerful, another for the vulnerable.
It appears the rich and powerful will now be able to sidestep judicial outcomes and make a mockery of justice, under the guise of ‘compassion’.
Perhaps the Attorney General’s Chambers can enlighten us on what will happen in Najib’s other pending cases if the decisions go against him?
We note he still owes RM1.7bn in unpaid taxes, not to mention the billions already lost from public funds due to his crimes.
The Attorney General’s Chambers should also clarify the legal basis for house arrest, as Najib’s case has set a precedent. How will it be enforced and what conditions apply? These need to be spelt out, if only to give them some semblance of credibility.
After all, being confined to a luxury home, in this day and age, still means enjoying most home comforts and access to the outside world through communications technology.
What about other high-profile politicians convicted of, or serving time for, serious corruption?
What about those imprisoned for petty theft and other crimes? Would they too be eligible to apply for house arrest on compassionate grounds?
The country is already polarised by the politics of race and religion. This decision could deepen those divisions in a society often reminded of the virtue of being ethical.
All this is happening while the country faces a host of problems, such as ethnic polarisation and the high cost of living.
A government that promised reform and an end to corruption now owes the people answers, not silence.
If arrangements like this can be made in this case, people will rightly ask if this can happen again and on what basis. The government cannot wash its hands of an issue with such serious implications and consequences.
Aliran executive committee
19 September 2026
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This cartoon reflects the situation – justice favours the powerful despite a more serious crime:
If the convict is allowed serve the rest of his jail term under a so-called “house arrest” provision that does not even exist in law, it will demonstrate to the world that our leaders are ready to bend and tweak the law to help the rich and powerful in our country.
PN was formed with two core parties, PAS and Bersatu. Also Bersatu was leading it in the general elections until only recently. Now that Bersatu was ‘kicked out, the coalition PN should consider itself dissolved.
Lim Guan Eng pointed out that under Anthony Loke as Transport Minister, a total of RM21 billion worth of infrastructure projects had since been awarded to Penang.
These projects include the RM 16.8 billion Mutiara Light Rail Transit (LRT), expansion projects comprising RM 1.55 billion for the Penang International Airport, RM 30 million for KTM stations, RM 2.2 billion for Penang Port and RM 500 million for Swettenham Pier.
I thought Tony already resigned?
He is no longer important. Maybe looking for Worthy successor?
At least he has done good for Penang while he is in the ministry.
Anthony Loke has gone for silent meditation leaving behind a confused Rakyat.
His coalition leader has mentioned that he has not received any resignation letter from Loke – yet.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said his resignation will come into effect once former prime minister Najib Razak returns home to serve his house arrest. If you cannot wait, then you should donate to Bossku release fund.
As usual, Loke has jumped the gun. This is a mess he created himself.
He has tied his resignation to Najib returning home, so let him follow through when that happens.
Why should anyone donate towards Najib’s fine just to bring forward Loke’s departure?
We, the Rakyat, can question his decision without contributing a sen to that fund.
Some just do not understand why Anthony Loke decided to resign. When a corrupt national convict shows no remorse ,and gets a pardon it is not justice being served as punishment for what he did to the people who trusted him to do good. He cheated and lied to the people. He is disappointed as politician in govt that made it happen especially when the PM was all out to punish corrupt politicians with the unity govt. This did not happen.
” Anthony Loke may never get to resign as Transport Minister; he could be in opposition by then”
https://focusmalaysia.my/anthony-loke-may-never-get-to-resign-as-transport-minister-he-could-be-in-opposition-by-then/
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim questioned those celebrating Transport Minister Anthony Loke’s decision to resign, saying that the DAP secretary-general had been performing his duties well.
Anwar said there was no apparent reason for Loke to step down, noting that the minister had only submitted his resignation letter yesterday.
The public and the opposition are mocking DAP and Loke, lah. They are not questioning his work ethic.
The PM certainly does not want to lose a capable minister heading the Ministry of Transport, given the many problems it has to deal with.
Does not want to lose a capable minister? The PM’s language does not suggest that. What he said is that he is still waiting for the resignation letter.
Nor would he want a controversy in his own government like the one reflected in this headline:
“Umno leader removed as rail firm’s boss after controversial remarks on LRT accident”
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/umno-leader-sacked-as-malaysias-transport-firm-chair-after-controversial-remarks-on
Transport Minister Anthony Loke today said any political links involving MYEG and Zetrix AI Berhad were irrelevant to the government’s decision to suspend their services, stressing that his ministry’s concern was the RM314 million in outstanding government revenue.
Responding to a question on whether the companies were linked to Umno, Loke said it was not his role to associate them with any political party and that all companies and agents were treated equally.
Totally agree with Transport Minister Anthony Loke that outstanding government revenue must be collected, regardless of who the companies are linked to.
But if MOT is so firm about protecting government revenue, then another question must be asked.
How were MYEG and Zetrix AI allowed to continue collecting public money for about five months while the outstanding amount grew to a massive RM314 million?
According to the minister himself, there were 35 reminders before the services were finally suspended.
Why did it take 35 reminders and RM314 million in arrears before stronger action was taken?
These were not ordinary customers owing the government money.
They were appointed collection agents handling public revenue and were supposed to remit the money to the government.
And since the question of political connections has already been raised publicly, Malaysians are also entitled to ask: are these simply ordinary private companies, or do they have links to political figures?
Political links may be irrelevant to whether the money must be paid, but they are certainly relevant when the public is asking why such a large amount was allowed to accumulate before decisive action was taken.
The RM314 million belongs to the government and ultimately to the people.
The real issue now is not only whether the money will be recovered, but also how the monitoring system allowed the arrears to reach this level in the first place.
After the DAP CEC meeting, the party issued a statement saying that Anthony Loke would resign as transport minister, apparently as a form of protest. Loke himself was present at that meeting.
Check out Hannah Yeoh’s public statement on this issue at the 21st September press conference. There was no mention of his resignation being conditional.
And on 29 September 2026, Loke told reporters at Malaysia Maritime Week that his resignation would take effect, ” The timeframe is the day Najib returns home, my resignation takes effect.” meaning that his resignation was conditional and tied it to the second conditional pardon for Najib.
This was not how it was presented at the beginning.
So much putar belit over Loke’s resignation drama.
Everything in life has terms and conditions attached. Please read the fine prints.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim strongly defended Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook’s position in the Cabinet, emphasizing the need for principled leaders who focus on aiding ordinary citizens, especially in contrast to those involved in corruption.
FMM said many larger companies already pay above the statutory minimum wage, while smaller manufacturers and labour-intensive businesses generally have less room to absorb a sudden increase in payroll costs.
The manufacturing association said a steep and uniform adjustment could also affect wages above the minimum level, as employers may need to adjust the pay of experienced operators, technicians and supervisors to maintain differences based on skills, experience and responsibilities.
” Malaysia calls for urgent South China Sea Code of Conduct ” https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2026/10/29/malaysia-calls-for-urgent-south-china-sea-code-of-conduct ======== How many times have we heard about this Code of Conduct for the South China Sea? How many times have we heard about the urgency of concluding it? How much value does another call for urgency have if negotiations continue while tensions and strategic pressure at sea persist? The Foreign Minister has said the same thing a number of times before, and now the Defense Minister is saying it too. While you people talk about diplomacy and whatnot, the Chinese continue to play Tai Chi with… Read more »
Once China has completed its military plans for the South China Sea, it is going to say, “You can take your Code of Conduct for the South China Sea and shove it.” You see, by then, they will have total control of the South China Sea. And by then, ASEAN may need to get China’s permission if it wants to do anything in the South China Sea. Remember, its map now shows that everything up to the coastal regions of the South China Sea belongs to China. The Philippines is an ASEAN member. Remember what China said to the Philippines… Read more »
” MCA, MIC, nothing more than irrelevant lapdogs? ”
https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/128871/mca-mic-nothing-more-than-irrelevant-lapdogs
========
More like a doormat than a lapdog. Used when needed, then discarded when no longer useful. Then use again when needed ( Johor and N9 state election ).
Remember what happened after GE15, when UMNO became part of the Unity Government.
Did UMNO share the benefits of power fairly with its allies, or did it put its own interests first while leaving MCA and MIC sidelined?
Now, what does that tell us about the value UMNO places on its long-time allies?
” After walkout, DAP duo dare MCA to quit BN, use own logo ”
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/10/25/after-walkout-dap-duo-dare-mca-to-quit-bn-use-own-logo
========
Yes, what a humiliating and disgraceful way for a long-standing ally to be treated.
Almost 70 years of standing together through thick and thin in Barisan Nasional seem to count for very little to some of UMNO’s current leaders.
The way MCA is being treated in Melaka also raises questions about whether the same attitude was reflected in Negeri Sembilan (N9).
If this is how BN treats its long-standing partners, what does that say about the meaning of loyalty and cooperation within the coalition?
” MCA leaders stage walkout at BN’s Melaka polls candidate announcement ”
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2026/10/24/mca-leaders-stage-walkout-at-bn039s-melaka-polls-candidate-announcement
========
MCA should look at the pattern. When it suits UMNO’s interests, MCA is embraced as an ally.
When it does not, MCA appears to be treated like an outsider.
Barisan Nasional is supposed to be a coalition of UMNO, MCA, MIC and other component parties.
But if decisions can be made without proper consultation, what does that say about the coalition?
MCA and MIC need to ask themselves how much longer they are prepared to be kicked around like a football.
Ultimately, they must decide whether remaining in BN serves their parties and supporters or whether they need to reconsider their political direction.
Have some dignity, self-respect and the courage to stand up for your own principles.
MCA has options, and it should seriously consider whether its continued loyalty to BN is justified.
Ultimately, the choice of whom to vote for in the Melaka state election and future elections rests with MCA’s members and its supporting voters.
” Youth must be able to criticise without fear of ‘offending’ ”
https://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/887331-comment-youth-must-be-able-to-criticise-without-fear-of-offending
========
Everyone, especially politicians – including the current Prime Minister, keeps saying that the youth are the future leaders of our Nation.
Then why are young people intimidated when they speak out against wrongdoing in our country?
Criticism can be uncomfortable, especially for politicians, but young people shouldn’t have to stay silent simply because speaking out means exposing the wrongdoing of those in power.
They cannot be called the future leaders of our nation while being discouraged from questioning those who lead it today.
Hypocritical, isn’t it?
The Rakyat has the right to know what are the SOP and conditions to be followed for house arrest. If they are made known, there need be no speculations, right? Not revealing the conditions will definitely lead to plenty of unnecessary speculations. Already there might be speculasi of water beds and jacuzzi tubs for two.. To put an end to all these, simply let the Rakyat know.
This appears to be the first time such an arrangement has been implemented in Malaysia.
Don’t think the authorities even have a proper SOP for it yet. Perhaps that’s why it’s classified under the OSA.
” Prisons Dept in final stage of drafting house arrest regulations, says Saifuddin Nasution ”
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2026/10/18/prisons-dept-in-final-stage-of-drafting-house-arrest-regulations-says-saifuddin-nasution
========
Looks like the relevant authorities are still working on it, and the said prisoner isn’t going anywhere just yet.
DAP’s Ah Loke should be relieved for now. His resignation letter won’t be coming into effect just yet either.
“Defend good leaders like Loke, don’t ask them to quit, says Anwar”
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/10/14/defend-good-leaders-like-loke-don-t-ask-them-to-quit-says-anwar
========
The Prime Minister keeps pushing the narrative that it is the Rakyat and the Opposition who want Anthony Loke to resign.
But is that really what happened?
It was neither the Rakyat nor the Opposition who first announced that Loke would step down from his positions.
Rather, it was DAP’s own decisions and subsequent announcements that opened the door to public criticism and ridicule.
First, the Negeri Sembilan state election.
Following DAP’s poor performance in the August 1 state election, a CEC meeting was held on August 3, after which Loke announced that he would step down as Negeri Sembilan DAP chairman, saying it was time for new leadership.
The link – https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2026/08/03/loke-resigns-as-negri-dap-chief-says-right-time-for-new-leadership
Then came the Najib pardon controversy.
Following the Pardons Board’s decision allowing Najib Razak to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, DAP convened another CEC meeting on September 19.
Following the meeting, Loke announced that he would offer to resign as Transport Minister.
The link – https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/09/19/loke-other-top-guns-arrive-for-cec-meeting-on-najib
The Link – https://www.thevibes.com/articles/news/127474/loke-to-resign-as-transport-minister-following-pardons-boards-decision
Hannah Yeoh subsequently reinforced the message, declaring that the CEC’s decision was final and must be respected.
The link – https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/09/21/hannah-yeoh-lokes-resignation-offer-was-dap-cecs-final-decision-must-be-respected/236001
(Wah! Such authority and certainty!)
But in the end, we, the Rakyat, discovered that the resignation offer came with a condition attached.
Did anyone see any such condition in DAP’s earlier statements?
After all, Hannah Yeoh had declared that the CEC’s decision was final and must be respected.
Yet, the subsequent clarification that Loke’s resignation would only take effect when Najib returned home raised further questions.
If the CEC’s decision was final and had to be respected, why was the timing of the resignation still being worked out afterwards?
These shifting explanations only added to the perception of inconsistency. Hence the public mocking.
” N Sembilan crisis: No reason to delay new excos’ appointments – Loke ” https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/886791-n-sembilan-crisis-no-reason-to-delay-new-excos-appointments-loke ======== Maybe Anthony Loke should ask the PM to have a slow talk with his Deputy, who also happens to be the President of UMNO at the federal level. Not sure what exactly the problem is here. Isn’t the Federal Government supposed to be a Unity Government? UMNO certainly had no problem talking about being part of the Unity Government during the Negeri Sembilan state election campaign. If UMNO was comfortable campaigning on its participation in the Federal Unity Government, why does cooperation now seem… Read more »
A Little Bit Of History – The Rakyat did not really know the full extent of what was happening with the LCS project until PH took over in 2018. Under Mat Sabu as Defence Minister, the problems surrounding the LCS project began coming under much closer scrutiny. By 31 May 2019, about RM5.94 billion had already been spent. Yet construction progress on the first five LCS ranged only from about 1.55% to 36.75%. LCS 6 had not even started. That left only about RM3.188 billion from the original RM9.128 billion contract, and investigators already believed that amount would not be… Read more »
The previous government later decided in April 2022 that the LCS project should continue. When the Unity Government took over, Anwar’s Cabinet revisited the matter and, on 19 April 2023, decided to continue that earlier decision. Anwar later said the government had “no choice” because around RM6 billion had already been spent and abandoning the project could mean losing that money altogether. The argument was that changing contractor or starting again would cost even more, take longer and require fresh negotiations with the many OEMs and vendors already involved. That reasoning is understandable. But before the Unity Government committed billions… Read more »
The Unity government had a duty to fully establish what had gone wrong and who was responsible before committing billions more. But since the Unity Government chose to continue the project, it also took responsibility for the rescue. The order was reduced from 6 ships to 5, while the main-contract cost increased from RM9.128 billion to RM11.22 billion, with another 83 months added to the construction period. The government did retain BNS as the contractor, but it later took over the company through the Ministry of Finance, changed the ownership structure and installed new leadership. BNS was subsequently renamed Lumut… Read more »
The question is whether the Unity Government’s decision to continue pouring billions more into the project was the right one, especially when further delays and additional costs have already occurred under its rescue plan.
The concern now is whether the Unity Government can finally deliver five fully operational warships without the project slipping even further behind schedule or demanding even more of the Rakyat’s money.
So, is the call for an RCI relevant? Absolutely.
” LCS project completion independent of RCI, says Khaled ”
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/10/11/lcs-project-completion-independent-of-rci-says-khaled
========
Khaled is right that LCS 1 should not have to wait for an RCI. But there is also no legitimate reason an RCI or comprehensive investigation should have to wait for LCS 1 to be completed either.
Both can take place simultaneously – complete the ships while investigating how the project ended up in this situation and who should be held accountable.
” Selangor Sultan officiates renaming of Morib square after former MB Harun Idris ”
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/10/11/selangor-sultan-officiates-renaming-of-morib-square-after-former-mb-harun-idris/238666
========
Wasn’t there a former Selangor MB by the name of Dato’ Seri Harun Idris who stood trial for corruption and was sentenced to jail ?
Is this the same person being honoured here?
” LCS ‘better than nothing’ despite prolonged delays, say experts ” https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/10/11/lcs-better-than-nothing-despite-prolonged-delays-say-experts ======== When a person is thirsty and is given half a glass of water, then yes, one can say half a glass is better than no water at all. But here we are talking about the defense of our country, our sovereignty and our people. One cannot simply say an outdated or incomplete warship is “better than nothing”. In the hour of need, an enemy will not give us credit for trying. If the ship is not fully combat-ready, it can simply be taken out of the sea.… Read more »