Has Anthony Loke resigned or not?

DATUK Seri Anwar Ibrahim values Anthony Loke much more than most people think.

The Prime Minister has yet to accept the DAP secretary-general's resignation and the insider opinion is that he is adamant that Loke stays in the Cabinet.

Loke has actually resigned twice. The first attempt did not go through after it was decided that the quit decision would take effect only when Datuk Seri Najib Razak goes home.

That finally happened on Tuesday when Loke announced that his resignation as Transport Minister had taken effect because a leader's words must be followed by action and not empty promises.

End of story? Not quite so because the PM, speaking on the campaign trail in Alor Gajah, Melaka, said he planned to have further discussions with Loke about the resignation move while the latter takes a break.

Then raising his voice rather dramatically, he asked why the good ones should have to resign while the bad ones remained and praised Loke as "clean and trustworthy".

More confirmation that Loke is indeed the PM's blue-eyed boy came a day later when Anwar, unable to officiate at the Malaysia China Entrepreneurs Conference in Kuala Lumpur, asked Loke to represent him.

But the assignment eventually fell on Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Steven Sim while Loke represented the Prime Minister at the gala dinner that marked the conclusion of the conference.

The Cabinet meeting on Friday saw Loke seated at his usual spot next to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Was he not taking a break? Has the resignation not taken effect?

The thing is, Anwar needs DAP by his side now that Umno has become the enemy. DAP with its 40 MPs lends the Madani government strength and stability. It is also the only party that has consistently and openly pledged support to the PM.

Meanwhile, the aftershocks that followed Najib's return home are still reverberating.

Public opinion is deeply divided over what is seen as special treatment for a man who caused Malaysia to make news worldwide for all the wrong reasons.

The intelligentsia is outraged while the Pakatan Harapan base is far from happy. They see it as a setback for the government's efforts against corruption.

The Malaysian Bar is challenging the legality and constitutionality of the house arrest arrangement.

The Internet is choked with cynical commentary.

DAP leaders have also not given up on their quest for the government to declassify the minutes of the Pardons Board. They want to prove that Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh had voiced the party's concerns about a pardon for Najib.

A minister pointed out that declassifying this particular set of minutes would set a precedent for all other pardons and it would be like opening Pandora's Box.

While many in the legal fraternity have praised Attorney General (AG) Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhar for questioning the terms of the house arrest order, he is weighed down by allegations of treachery against the King.

"I keep hearing calls for the AG to go on garden leave and for an investigation into his role on the pardon issue," said lawyer and Umno politician Ainul Aizat Ahmad Ishak.

The AG is also the advisor to the King but few can imagine the palace seeking his advice after what happened.

The goal posts were moved so many times over Loke's resignation that when it finally happened, there was no sense of celebration that he had done the right thing.

"The momentum was lost after too many postponements," said a PKR leader from Perak.

To date, Bersama's Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli stands out for making the most sense on the issue.

He said DAP should have put its foot down when Anwar informed Parliament months ago that he was the one who put Najib's bid for a pardon on the Pardons Board agenda.

Rafizi said DAP should have issued an ultimatum to the PM at that point instead of making a song and dance about it only after everything exploded. It is like shutting the door after the horse has bolted.

On that count, Umno supreme council members Datuk Seri Alwi Che Ahmad, a much sought-after ceramah speaker in the Melaka campaign, made a big show of thanking the PM for Najib's pardon.

"They blamed Umno but who opened the door for the tiger to come in. Don't blame the tiger, blame the one who opened the door," said Alwi.

The Umno side has not openly celebrated Najib's homecoming because they know many out there disagree with it. But that has not stopped them from painting DAP as anti-royal.

DAP had little choice but to oppose Najib's home arrest arrangement but it has eroded their efforts to win over the Malays.

Even Malays critical of Najib going home are uncomfortable with the notion of challenging a royal decree.

There has also been speculation of a Cabinet reshuffle but there would be no need for that if the PM keeps Loke on board.

Anwar is also unlikely to call for an early general election. No PM would go for early polls unless he is confident of doing well and the political landscape is far from friendly at this point in time.

The Confidence and Supply Agreement (CSA) that roped in the support of 13 Opposition and Independent MPs ensures Anwar of the numbers in Parliament in the event of an attempt at a vote of no confidence against him.

It has not been a bed of roses for the PM but he is intent on going a full term, come what may.

And he is set on holding on to Loke as Transport Minister.

But there will be consequences and everyone will be left wondering whether all the noise and fury in opposing the pardon was more about political theatre and less about principle.

The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own