Petaling Jaya parliamentary seat officially declared vacant

KUALA LUMPUR: The Petaling Jaya parliamentary seat has been declared vacant following the resignation of its member of parliament, Lee Chean Chung, on Oct 2.

Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Ramli Md Nor said Lee submitted his resignation letter to Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul on Oct 2.

"The Honourable member for Petaling Jaya submitted his letter resigning as a member of the Dewan Rakyat to the Speaker on Oct 2.

"The Dewan Rakyat Speaker has informed the Election Commission of the vacancy in the parliamentary seat in accordance with Article 54(1) of the Federal Constitution," he told the Dewan Rakyat today.

Last Friday, PKR lawmaker Lee announced his resignation as the Petaling Jaya MP and as a PKR member.

Lee said he received a decision from PKR on Sept 30 suspending his party membership for three years.

He claimed the suspension was linked to his outspoken stance on various issues affecting the public, saying it had also prevented him from voicing his views within the party.

Tensions between Lee and PKR escalated in early June when he claimed he had lost access to his constituency's allocations after attending the Bersama event.

On June 12, Lee announced his resignation from the party's Central Leadership Council.