He said the Penang, Klang, Johor, Labuan and Bintulu port commission chiefs had yet to be decided.
The prime minister had ultimate say in advising the king on who these chiefs should be, he added.
Loke was responding to a question on when the Penang Port Commission (PPC) chairperson would be appointed.
Historically, this post has often been filled by political appointees, the last one being Penang MCA chief Tan Teik Cheng and former MCA president Chua Soi Lek before him.
“We want more professionals on board. We want a mix of both professionals and political appointees. But rest assured, it would not be like the past as there will be more professionals.
“It has taken some time to shortlist the candidates, as you know the PM has a lot of things on his plate. The PM is very serious about vetting every single name before coming to a final decision on appointing the right people.
“The decisions will be made very soon and we feel it may be made in the coming month,” he said at a press conference here today.
Under federal law, the king appoints a port commission chairman and the transport minister appoints its board members.
It was reported that the PPC chairman typically receives a salary of RM15,000 a month, with allowances for travelling, meetings and entertainment expenses.
An official car is also given to the chairman, with a driver and personal assistant, according to The Star’s report on July 12.
The PPC was formed under the PPC Act 1955, a statutory body under the transport ministry, which licenses the ports in Penang.
The Klang, Johor, Tanjung Pelepas, Kuantan, Kemaman, Melaka and Teluk Ewa (Langkawi) ports fall under the Port Authorities Act 1963. The Bintulu port comes under the Bintulu Port Authority Act 1981. All these authorities are controlled by the transport ministry.
Basically, PPC is the port authority for all ports in Penang. However, it does not handle day-to-day activities there and licenses the ports to private companies to run.
Penang Port Sdn Bhd handles the port on the island and mainland Butterworth at present.