World News for Students of English

28-09-2026 07:00

Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke offered to resign from the cabinet in protest against a conditional royal pardon granted to jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak.

The pardon allows Najib to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest if he meets specific conditions, including paying a fine of approximately 12 million dollars. Loke, who serves as the Secretary-General of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), emphasized that keeping Najib behind bars is a firm boundary for the party due to its long-standing fight against corruption and commitment to justice.

Despite Loke’s personal resignation offer, the DAP central executive committee decided that its four other ministers and seven deputy ministers will remain in government. DAP is the largest party in the ruling coalition. It holds 40 parliamentary seats and aims to protect political stability and prevent the collapse of the Prime Minister’s unity government. Loke assured the public that key national transport projects will continue without disruption.

Difficult words: royal pardon (an official decision by a king or queen to forgive a person for a crime and reduce or cancel their punishment), commitment (a strong promise or firm decision to do something), executive committee (a small group of people who make important decisions for a larger organization or political party).

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