Former Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung has rejected claims that he became inactive in PKR without reason, saying his involvement declined after the party allegedly failed to act on concerns he had raised over the “corporate mafia” issue.
Lee said he had raised the matter through internal party channels, but received no meaningful response.
“The claim that I had been ‘missing’ from party affairs for more than a year diverts attention from the real reason behind the situation. I became less active after the ‘corporate mafia’ issue, which I raised through internal channels, was ignored,” he said in a Facebook post.
His remarks came a day after he announced his resignation as Petaling Jaya MP and said he would leave PKR on Monday.
PKR president Anwar Ibrahim had said Lee had not attended party meetings for a year or the party congress in August. PKR deputy secretary-general Bryan Ng also claimed Lee was largely absent from state and local government meetings, including discussions on the Petaling Jaya Local Plan.
Lee disputed the characterisation, saying he had raised the alleged “corporate mafia” issue in Parliament in January and subsequently met Anwar in April to propose the establishment of a royal commission of inquiry.
He also referred to an allegation made by businessman Victor Chin in March that a PKR MP had allegedly requested RM9.5 million to resolve legal problems linked to the alleged corporate mafia.
Lee questioned why no action had been taken over the allegation.
He said his constituency allocation was blocked in May, with the funds subsequently handed to PKR for management. He then resigned from the party’s central leadership council in June.
“On July 2, I received a show-cause letter from the PKR disciplinary board. I responded to it on July 9, but received no response. I personally sent a letter to the disciplinary board on Aug 20 requesting a hearing to defend myself, but was ignored,” he said.
Lee was subsequently suspended from PKR for three years on Sept 30.
He described the suspension as “punishment without trial”, arguing that he had used the party’s established channels to raise his concerns and seek a hearing.
“The record is clear. I did not disappear. I used every proper channel, and the response I received was silence, restrictions and punishment,” he said.
Lee also questioned the contrasting treatment of the allegations involving the RM9.5 million claim.
“Why is the MP who called for an investigation punished, while the MP accused of receiving RM9.5 million is not investigated?” he asked.
Lee’s relationship with the PKR leadership had deteriorated after he attended the launch of Bersama in May. He was subsequently issued a show-cause letter over his presence at the event.
Lee defended his attendance at the time, saying he had merely participated in activities held within his constituency.
