Keeping Promises More Important Than Political Position - Loke

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 11 (Bernama) -- The principle of fulfilling promises and upholding personal credibility outweighs the importance of maintaining one’s political position, said former Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

He said this principle had guided his political journey, particularly when faced with difficult decisions that required him to honour commitments made publicly.

“I resigned with effect from yesterday. It was a clear, certain and firm decision. There is no ambiguity. My stance is clear,” he said in his address at the Transport Ministry's monthly assembly here today. Loke arrived at the ministry at 10.04 am to attend the assembly for the last time following his resignation.

To avoid any misunderstanding, Loke stressed that promises must be honoured even when doing so was difficult, recalling how his father had instilled in him the importance of keeping one's word regardless of the circumstances.

Reflecting on his tenure, the DAP secretary-general expressed pride in the commitment shown by ministry staff in driving reforms across the aviation, maritime and land transport sectors over the past four years.

In the aviation sector, Loke described the merger of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) and the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) as an important restructuring exercise.

He also highlighted the FLYsiswa subsidised air ticket assistance initiative, which was introduced without an initial allocation from the ministry but has since become a permanent programme under the annual Budget to ease travel costs for higher education students.

In the maritime sector, he cited Port Klang's achievement as the world's 10th busiest port and the decision to end the dredging concession in favour of an open tender process as significant milestones in strengthening the competitiveness of the country's ports.

On land and rail transport, Loke praised the recovery efforts at Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB), which had recorded significant increases in revenue and passenger numbers.

He also welcomed the expansion of Bas.my services to all state capitals, as well as continued progress on major infrastructure projects, including the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Link.

“I hope my modest contributions during my years leading the Transport Ministry will leave a positive impact on the country's future and the well-being of its people,” he said.

-- BERNAMA