PKR leader claims Lee often skipped state, local govt meetings

Lee Chean Chung announced his resignation as Petaling Jaya MP earlier today, and said he would resign from PKR on Monday.PETALING JAYA: Former Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung has hit back at PKR deputy secretary-general Bryan Ng over criticism of his attendance at meetings involving the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ).Lee said in a statement this evening that an MP was not a member of MBPJ but was invited to council meetings as an observer, with no voting rights or authority to approve council papers.PKR deputy secretary-general Bryan Ng.However, the criticism from Ng, who is a city councillor, had focussed on how often Lee had attended MBPJ meetings rather than the policy issues he had raised, Lee said.“My primary arena is the Dewan Rakyat, parliamentary committees and engagement with ministries. That is where the voice of Petaling Jaya is carried to the federal level,” he said. On the other hand, a city councillor is appointed to sit, scrutinise, debate and vote on matters before MBPJ.Lee challenged Ng to disclose his own attendance record at council and committee meetings, as well as his position and voting record on the proposed Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link.Lee also asked Ng to clarify whether MBPJ had approved or signed an agreement for the Selangor Intelligent Parking scheme and, if so, whether Ng had objected or recorded his dissent.Lee also challenged Ng to state PKR’s official position on the two projects and on calls for a royal commission of inquiry into what he described as the “corporate mafia”.Lee said his record on the issues was public, citing his opposition to the parking scheme, and his call for the PJD Link concession to be terminated.“The people of Petaling Jaya, and PKR’s own members, deserve answers.

If the party has a clear position, state it. If it does not, then the problem is not that I spoke up. The problem is that the party has stayed silent,” he said.He added that attending meetings meant little if problematic projects were allowed to proceed without objection.Ng had earlier criticised Lee for allegedly failing to attend most meetings on the Petaling Jaya local plan despite being invited as the MP.

He said the plan was important in determining urban development, including land use, traffic, public facilities and the city’s future planning.Earlier today, Lee, a one-term MP, announced that he was stepping down as the Petaling J… PKR deputy secretary-general Bryan Ng (left) said former Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung should have left the party 'with dignity much earlier' instead of remaining in it and getting involved with opponent parties.PETALING JAYA: A PKR leader has claimed that Lee Chean Chung, who earlier today stepped down as the Petaling Jaya MP, was largely a no-show at meetings held by the state and local governments.PKR deputy secretary-general Bryan Ng also said Lee, who plans to resign from the party on Monday, failed to regularly turn up for meetings to discuss the Petaling Jaya Local Plan.Ng said the local plan was a crucial document to determine urban development, including land use, traffic, public facilities, and future planning of the city."He was invited as the MP, but did not attend most of the meetings.“If he truly wanted to resolve issues affecting the people, he should have shown up first,” he said in a statement.Ng also said Lee should have resigned from the party “with dignity much earlier” instead of remaining in it and getting involved with opponent parties.Earlier today, Lee announced his resignation as the Petaling Jaya MP following his three-year suspension from PKR.He said his suspension was likely due to his vocal stance on several issues, including the Urban Renewal Act, foreign worker recruitment, university admissions for STPM students, and Selangor’s guidelines on non-Islamic places of worship.Ng’s remarks follow PKR president Anwar Ibrahim's statement this afternoon that Lee was an inactive party member.Anwar said Lee had not attended party meetings for a year or shown up for the party congress in August.Lee, who was elected the Petaling Jaya MP in the 2022 general election, had been at odds with the PKR leadership since attending Bersama’s launch in May.He defended his presence at events organised by the party, saying he was merely taking part in activities held in his constituency.He was issued a show-cause letter by PKR’s disciplinary board and later resigned from the party’s central leadership council.FMT has reached out to Lee for his comments.