Lee quits as Petaling Jaya MP, cites governance concerns

PKR's Lee Chean Chung has resigned as MP for Petaling Jaya, citing dissatisfaction with his party over several governance issues.

At a press conference today, Lee said PKR had suspended him for three years on Sept 30.

He alleged that the decision was likely motivated by his outspokenness on several state and federal government policy issues, including the Urban Renewal Act (URA), the migrant worker recruitment monopoly, the sales and service tax (SST), the unfair admission of STPM holders to universities, and guidelines for non-Muslim places of worship in Selangor.

Lee is the fourth PKR MP to resign, after Rafizi Ramli, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, and Wong Chen.

"Although I am resigning, the service centre will remain open and continue to stand with the residents of Petaling Jaya. Old politics is no longer suitable; we need to move forward.

"The resignation takes effect today. I met the speaker yesterday at 3pm to hand over my duties, as a mark of respect for the institutions of our country.

"I will submit my letter to quit PKR by next Monday. I received my suspension letter on Wednesday evening. It caught me by surprise because the media already knew before I did. For three months, I was not given an opportunity to give an explanation, and not even a hearing was conducted. But it’s okay, we move on," Lee said.

He also lamented that his ability to represent the Petaling Jaya constituency had been progressively curtailed.

This followed the diversion of the remaining RM3 million in constituency allocations for his seat to the PKR leadership, under the party's Petaling Jaya division chief Hee Loy Sian.

Hee (below), on Aug 7, defended the Prime Minister’s Department’s decision to entrust him with coordinating Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) applications for Petaling Jaya.

He said the arrangement was made to safeguard the public interest based on administrative requirements and the government's confidence in the appointed individual, rather than political position.

The former MP of Petaling Jaya Selatan, before it was renamed to Petaling Jaya, said this referred to anyone recognised by the Prime Minister's Department and the ICU to facilitate such applications.

However, Lee disagreed.

"Now, the situation is more serious. I can no longer speak in debates or express my views within the party, while the management of the constituency allocation has also been taken over through a process that lacks transparency.

“Should I continue receiving a salary as a member of Parliament but simply sit there silently like a stump? No," Lee said.

Confused with govt direction

Lee, who was a two-time assemblyperson for the Semambu constituency in Pahang, also said he was confused by the direction of the country under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

"As a government-backing MP, many may assume that I am privy to the real strategy of Anwar and the direction of the nation.

"In truth, I am just like ordinary citizens: increasingly confused and finding it hard to understand where this government is heading," he lamented.

Lee said Pakatan Harapan had once criticised BN and Perikatan Nasional for failing to steer the country in the right direction.

Today, however, he said that with one controversy after another, people were increasingly being asked to reassure themselves that the present government was better than the previous one.

"Some say that Anwar is still the best choice, and that the government must compromise because this is a unity government.

"However, when Najib has been given the facility of serving his sentence at home, and a full explanation has yet to be given, it becomes ever harder to keep using the same excuse," Lee added.

READ MORE: Loke to resign from cabinet after Najib's conditional pardon, DAP stays

High-profile cases

Lee also recalled how Harapan had previously pressed for then MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki to step down.

Today, he said, questions over Azam's shareholdings and allegations relating to the "corporate mafia" scandal continue to raise concerns over the independence and credibility of the nation's institutions.

Azam (below) had previously denied any link between the MACC and the corporate mafia scandal.

As for the shareholding issue, Bloomberg published an article on Feb 10 reporting that Azam owned 17.7 million shares in Velocity Capital, a financial services company. The news agency estimated the shares were worth close to RM800,000 at the time of publication.

Azam later filed a RM100 million defamation suit against Bloomberg and its Malaysian office, Bloomberg (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, over the article.

He was also found to have held shares in another company, Awanbiru Technology Berhad, which may have raised questions over compliance with rules limiting the amount of shares a civil servant can hold in a single entity.

Malaysiakini's Feb 11 report on his shareholdings in Awanbiru was based on Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) records accessed at 9am that day. However, as of 5pm the same day, Azam's name was no longer on the document.

Lee said that in March 2026, businessperson Victor Chin's allegation that RM9.5 million had been given to a PKR MP was still not investigated by the party's disciplinary board.

"The one being investigated is me, for speaking out loudly.

"Moreover, to this day the government has shown no real commitment to establishing a royal commission of inquiry to investigate the allegations concerning the corporate mafia comprehensively, even though this has been demanded by all quarters, including (Digital Minister) Gobind Singh, who is himself a cabinet member," Lee said.

He added that high-profile cases ending in discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) at sensitive moments had also created a perception that the prosecution process was increasingly subject to political influence.

This was especially concerning, he said, as reform to separate the powers of the attorney-general and public prosecutor remained delayed.

"I thank PKR for the opportunities over these 18 years, and my fellow comrades who still believe in clean politics, institutional reform, and a Malaysia that celebrates diversity.

"But because so many people once supported this struggle without asking for anything in return, I cannot go on making excuses to defend what I myself am no longer able to defend," Lee added.

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