Perikatan Nasional (PN) secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan has called on DAP ministers to resign over their objections to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak serving the remainder of his prison sentence under house arrest.
He also challenged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dismiss ministers who questioned the royal pardon granted to Najib.
“To the DAP ministers, all of you should resign.
“Otherwise, we challenge the prime minister to advise the King to dismiss ministers who question the royal pardon,” he said at a press conference in Parliament today.
Takiyuddin was responding to DAP’s opposition to Najib serving the remainder of his sentence in the SRC International corruption case at his residence.
His remarks came two days after DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook resigned as Transport Minister following the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision allowing Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
Loke announced his resignation on Tuesday (Nov 10), fulfilling a pledge he had made after Najib received a conditional royal pardon on Sept 18. He had previously said he would step down once the former prime minister returned home.
Loke said his decision reflected DAP’s principles and its position on Najib’s house arrest, although he stressed that the party respected the King’s constitutional authority to grant pardons.
DAP maintained that allowing Najib, who was convicted in the SRC International corruption case, to serve his remaining sentence at home could send the wrong message about accountability.
However, the party decided that its other ministers and deputy ministers would remain in the government to maintain political stability.
Takiyuddin criticised that position, arguing that the royal pardon should be respected and implemented.
He stressed that the opposition was neither defending Najib’s wrongdoing nor disputing his conviction, but was concerned with protecting the constitutional rights of every citizen.
“We are not supporting any wrongdoing committed by anyone.
“What matters to us is ensuring that every citizen’s rights are protected under the Federal Constitution,” he said.
He also argued that Najib’s transfer from Kajang Prison to his Langgak Duta residence did not mean he had been released from prison.
Instead, he said, the former prime minister remained bound by the conditions of the royal pardon, which allowed him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028.
The conditional pardon required Najib to pay a RM50 million fine, which was settled on Nov 6.
On Nov 10, the High Court issued a revised order allowing Najib to serve the remainder of his SRC sentence under house arrest after the Attorney-General’s Chambers applied for clarification of the original discharge order.
