I did what I had to do, says ex-Kajang rep on his shock resignation

Lee Chin Cheh denies being pressured or paid to vacate his Kajang seat for opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, February 12, 2014.Lee Chin Cheh presented a picture of calmness, almost oblivious to the effects of the bombshell he dropped with his sudden resignation as Kajang assemblyperson two weeks ago.

Shrugging off the ensuing media circus, the pudgy corporate and conveyancing lawyer said "it's life as usual" for him.

By now, the reason the first-term PKR lawmaker resigned is well known among Malaysians.

Both Lee and his party had claimed the move and the subsequent decision to field opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the mixed seat was to strengthen the opposition pact's ability to serve the urban electorate as well as to defend Selangor from Umno’s attacks.

Since last week, the 43-year-old had been going around with Anwar to meet the people and explain his decision, stressing that he did not encounter any hostility or anger from voters.

Instead, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

"The question of betrayal does not arise as it is not as though I quit and joined another party.

"I resigned for the party, for Pakatan and for a better candidate," he told The Malaysian Insider in an interview at his law firm in Petaling Jaya.

Wearing a striped blue and white shirt and black slacks, Lee denied claims he quit because he could not handle the workload or that he was forced, or paid to give up the seat.

"It's all nonsense! I asked for nothing. I volunteered because I believe it will lead to a better Selangor in the future."

Lee said he had felt for some time that Selangor, Malaysia's richest and most industrialised state, needed Anwar to help improve its administration.

"Those aged 40 and below had no impression of his work and there is a need for a platform for Anwar to showcase his talents," he said.

Lee said he had a five-minute meeting with Anwar, three hours before he handed his resignation letter to state speaker Hannah Yeoh.

"I wanted to know whether I would be penalised if I quit as all elected representatives were required to sign a contract before GE13. I also wanted confirmation that he would be standing there and thankfully, he put my mind at ease."

Lee was reserved in his assessment of Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, saying that while Khalid has his strengths, there were some matters that did not move at the pace expected by the people.

As such, roping Anwar on board, and eventually helming the state, would help speed things up, he believed.

He admitted that he did not raise these concerns with Khalid directly but stressed that he did so numerous times within the party's framework.

One gets a sense that Lee was a reluctant politician, one who preferred to work behind the scenes than being in the spotlight.

He said in the past one year as the Kajang assemblyman, much of his time was spent meeting up with his constituents on average up to 16 days a month, with his weekends filled with constituency programmes from morning until night.

During the time he was an assemblyman, Lee commuted to Kajang either from his home in Shah Alam or from his office in Petaling Jaya.

Undoubtedly his wife, an accountant who helps out at Lee's law firm, and his two children aged nine and seven, were over the moon that his decision meant he would have more time with the family. "My children said 'that means you don't need to go to Kajang for work'," he laughed.

Despite not being eligible to stand in the next general election, Lee has no regrets, saying that he can still help out the opposition pact behind the scenes in his capacity as deputy secretary of the state PKR and as the Petaling Jaya Utara division chief.

"I won't describe my decision as a sacrifice. I happily did it because I was nominated by the party to contest the seat.

"As long as the party needs me, I will contribute without any expectations or angling for any rewards," he said, adding that one could serve the party and the people without the need of public office.

For now, his wish was that Anwar would eventually take over as the Selangor menteri besar, a move which Lee was certain would benefit not only the state, but Kajang folk as well.

The Kajang by-election will be held on March 23, while nomination is set to take place on March 11.

While Anwar is the candidate for PKR, rival Barisan Nasional has yet to name its candidate.