adminSHAH ALAM: Lee Chean Chung has announced his resignation as Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya with immediate effect, following the decision to suspend his membership in the People’s Justice Party (PKR) for three years.
He said the action was taken after receiving the suspension decision on September 30, in addition to claiming that access to the RM3 million allocation for the Petaling Jaya area had previously been blocked and used by party representatives.
According to him, the situation became more serious when he was no longer allowed to discuss or express his position within the party, while the management of constituency allocations was taken over through a process that was allegedly not transparent.
“All this time I have spoken out about various issues of the people (and) their expectations, this is among the reasons that resulted in my suspension.
“However, the people’s problems will not stop just because I am instructed to remain silent.
“Should I continue to receive a salary as a member of Parliament but just sit there like a stump? No,” he said in a statement on Facebook on Friday.
He became the fourth MP from PKR to resign as an elected representative after Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli (Pandan), Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Setiawangsa) and Wong Chen (Subang).
Chean Chung stressed that he was increasingly confused about the direction of the Unity Government led by the Prime Minister who is also PKR President, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, despite previously being a government-supporting Member of Parliament.
In fact, he claimed that there had been a change in standards on issues of corruption, abuse of power and institutional reform compared to when Pakatan Harapan (PH) was in opposition.
He also raised the issue of alleged excessive share ownership involving the Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Tan Sri Azam Baki, the alleged RM9.5 million given to a PKR member of Parliament, as well as calls for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to be established to investigate allegations related to the corporate mafia.
Apart from that, he also questioned the issue of high-profile cases that ended with a decision to release without acquittal (DNAA) as well as the delay in reforms to separate the powers of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor.
“The people have the right to ask, why were we so angry about corruption, abuse of power and institutional corruption in the past, but when the opportunity arose to hold government, the standards changed?
“Some say Anwar is still the best choice, that the government needs to compromise because this is a Unity Government,” he said.
Meanwhile, regarding his position in the party, Chean Chung explained that PKR was the first political party he joined and left a corporate career to devote most of his young life to political struggle.
According to him, throughout the period from 2008 to 2022, he has gone through various political pressures including taking to the streets regarding the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, being charged under the Peaceful Assembly Act and repeatedly appearing in court.
“I have never regretted it. I am grateful to PKR for the opportunity over these 18 years and to my comrades who still believe in clean politics, institutional reform and a Malaysia that celebrates diversity.
“But because so many people have supported this struggle without asking for anything in return, I cannot continue to find reasons to defend things that I myself can no longer defend.”
“Although I resign as a member of Parliament, the Petaling Jaya Service Centre will continue to operate as usual,” he said.
– Agency
