PAS Information Chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari has questioned why Anthony Loke is continuing to carry out his official duties as Transport Minister despite announcing his intention to resign.
The Pasir Mas MP said Loke remained legally the Transport Minister until his resignation took effect, but argued that his continued official engagements raised questions from a governance perspective.
“When a minister has announced that he intends to step down on principle, his actions afterwards should reflect that he is moving towards the exit.
“Routine matters and urgent issues should of course continue, but new decisions or commitments that could have an impact after his departure should be made more cautiously. If they are not urgent, why not leave them to his successor?” he said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
Loke, who is also DAP secretary-general, announced on Saturday that he would offer his resignation as Transport Minister following the party’s response to the conditional pardon granted to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. The decision was made after a three-hour emergency meeting of DAP’s Central Executive Committee.
Loke said his resignation would only involve his Cabinet position, while other DAP ministers and deputy ministers would remain in the government to maintain political stability. He also said Transport Ministry plans and projects would continue as usual.
Fadhli said that if Loke intended to step down on principle, major matters should be handled in an orderly manner and left to his successor where appropriate.
He then used an analogy to question Loke’s continued work after announcing his resignation.
“Perhaps from now on, we need to understand that the word ‘resign’ in politics has a rather flexible meaning.
“You announce that you want to quit, then continue with official visits, attend meetings, sign MoUs, complete your schedule and only deal with the resignation after returning.
“Being hardworking is certainly good, but if you have already decided to leave the house, it is rather odd to add new furniture before handing over the keys,” he said.
Fadhli also questioned the approval of transport projects in Penang which he said were worth RM21 billion, including the Light Rail Transit (LRT), airport expansion and port projects.
“RM21 billion for Penang alone is certainly a large figure. If one state can receive that amount in transport projects, it would also be useful for the Transport Ministry to disclose the figures by state so that the public can make a fair comparison.
“Penang is not particularly different from other states, except for one obvious factor — its state government is led by DAP.
“That is why transparency in the figures by state is important, so questions do not arise over whether a minister’s ‘hard work’ also has political boundaries,” he said.
Recent reports put the value of approved transport projects in Penang at more than RM21 billion, including the RM16.8 billion Penang LRT project, RM1.55 billion Penang International Airport expansion and RM2.2 billion for Penang Port. These figures have also been cited by DAP leaders in discussing Loke’s record as Transport Minister.
