THE Petaling Jaya parliamentary seat has been officially declared vacant following the resignation of its incumbent Lee Chean Chung, paving the way for the Election Commission (EC) to determine the next steps under the Federal Constitution.
Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Ramli Md Nor said Lee had submitted his resignation as a member of the House to Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul on Friday (Oct 2), after his three-year suspension from PKR.
“The Petaling Jaya MP submitted his resignation letter as a member of the Dewan Rakyat to the Speaker on Friday (Oct 2). The Speaker has also informed the Election Commission (EC) of the vacancy of the parliamentary seat in accordance with Article 54(1) of the Federal Constitution,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said Lee’s suspension stemmed from his outspokenness on various issues affecting the people and claimed the action restricted his freedom to express his views within the party.
Tensions between Lee and PKR escalated in June after he claimed he had lost access to constituency allocations following his attendance at an event involving opposition leaders.
On June 12, Lee announced his resignation as a member of the PKR Central Leadership Council (MPP).
Meanwhile, Bersama leader Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli confirmed that Lee submitted his membership application at the party’s headquarters here today, signalling his move into Rafizi’s new political platform.
“We welcome the arrival of Lee Chean Chung as a Bersama leader. He submitted his application to join the party today and the application will be processed according to Bersama’s membership procedures,” Rafizi said at a press conference at which Lee was present.
Lee had announced his resignation as the Petaling Jaya MP last Friday, without conditions, after PKR informed him on Wednesday that his party membership had been suspended for three years.
Lee, who won the Petaling Jaya parliamentary seat in the 15th General Election (GE15), had submitted his resignation letter to Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul.
His move to Bersama came just three days after stepping down as an elected representative and marks his first formal political move since his departure from PKR. - October 5, 2026
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