‘I Am Ready To Resign As Minister If Najib Is Released Following BN’s Win In Johor’ – Nga Kor Ming

KUALA LUMPUR: Housing and Local Government Minister, Nga Kor Ming, has affirmed that he stands firmly by his principle of resigning as a minister if Datuk Seri Najib Razak is released without a commensurate sentence.

In response to calls from certain quarters for him to step down following the outcome of the 16th Johor State Election, the Teluk Intan Member of Parliament asked the public to refer back to his full statement during an exclusive interview with Oriental Daily previously.

Earlier, he was reported to have said he would not hesitate to be the first individual to resign as a minister if Najib were released following Barisan Nasional’s (BN) landslide victory in the state election.

In that interview, he claimed that Johor UMNO had repeatedly voiced its intention to secure Najib’s early release through the slogan “UMNO wins big, Najib returns home”, which he described as the party’s red line.

Kor Ming said his stance as a lawyer is consistent in ensuring the integrity of the country’s judicial system is always upheld.

“If Najib, who has caused Malaysians to now bear 1MDB debts of RM51.4 billion, can be released without serving a sentence commensurate with his offences despite having been found guilty, it means the integrity of this country’s judicial system has been compromised.

“In fact, the principle of the rule of law as enshrined in the Rukun Negara would no longer be respected,” he said in a media statement today.

Elaborating further, Kor Ming stated that his willingness to resign was made to defend the integrity of the country’s judicial system and that the matter has absolutely no connection with personal issues.

“Should such a situation occur, in defence of the integrity of our beloved country’s judicial system, I am willing to resign as a member of the cabinet.

“This matter has nothing to do with personal issues; on the contrary, it is a matter of core principle,” he said.

Meanwhile, he also congratulated BN on their two-thirds majority victory in the Johor state election yesterday, but reminded that the victory is a trust and heavy responsibility that must be carried with full integrity.

While asking all parties to respect the democratic process that took place, he also expressed appreciation to all voters, workers and volunteers who worked tirelessly to support Pakatan Harapan (PH).

“Although we did not win this time, tomorrow is still there. PH remains committed and concerned to continue working hard and serving the people and the nation,” he said.

Berita Harian