Loke’s latest agreement with Anwar for the resignation to take effect when Najib begins house arrest, however, spares the PM from having to look for his replacement for now, Hisommudin said.
“For Anwar, Loke’s resignation would create additional pressure because it would leave a vacancy in the Cabinet. It could also create speculation on who would replace Loke and could fuel rumours of a wider Cabinet reshuffle ahead of the general election,” he said.
Malaysia’s 16th general election (GE16) is due by February 2028, but Anwar has been urged by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition to call a GE “immediately”, in the wake of BN’s recent state election victories in Johor and Negeri Sembilan.
Anwar is buying time because he needs DAP’s full support in the Cabinet and does not want to lose any of its members, said Azmi Hassan, a senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research.
While the decision is a win for Loke, DAP and Anwar, Azmi agreed that Loke’s changing stance – shifting from an immediate resignation to a delayed exit – has invited public mockery and left the impression that he is hesitating.
“Already DAP’s political enemies were already making fun of his resignation offer initially, so they are unlikely to stop now,” he said.
On Tuesday, Anwar questioned the attention on Loke’s resignation and cited more pressing issues to discuss.
“What is the problem with Anthony Loke? The problem is corruption. The problem is robbery and stealing public funds.
“Those issues are not being raised but people keep asking why this person resigned,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.
