Reject 'dinosaur politics': Ex-PJ MP joins Bersama, targets Chinese voters

 

Former Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung has officially joined Bersama as one of the party’s interim leaders, ahead of its upcoming leadership election.

Lee’s move to Bersama comes with the specific responsibility of steering the party’s campaign for the Malacca state election, particularly in building its campaign machinery in areas with a Chinese-majority electorate.

Explaining his decision to join the new political platform, Lee called for an end to “dinosaur politics” for the sake of the country’s future.

“So, all this actually makes us feel that we have to say goodbye to what I call dinosaur politics - old politics.

“And I am ready to contribute whatever experience and strength I have to help Bersama,” he said during a press conference with Bersama today.

Lee (above, left) announced his resignation as MP with immediate effect last Thursday after he was suspended from PKR for three years.

'Cooperate in front, stab in the back'

He also described the current political landscape as being in a phase of disintegration and dishonesty.

“At the national level, we also know that on other stages or other political platforms... there is restructuring or disintegration.

“And every existing bloc looks the same. Some cooperate in front, but stab each other in the back,” he lamented.

Bersama leader Rafizi Ramli meanwhile, welcomed Lee’s entry, saying it would strengthen the party’s leadership as it expands nationwide.

Rafizi (above), who is former economy minister, added that Lee would join the interim leadership line-up alongside former natural resources, environment, and climate change minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, former Subang MP Wong Chen, and himself before the party holds its official election next year.

18 years with PKR

Lee’s Bersama entry follows his increasingly strained ties with PKR, which escalated after he attended Bersama’s launch in May, while still a PKR member.

On June 12, Lee resigned from PKR's central leadership council after eight years in the party’s central leadership.

However, he said at the time that he would remain a PKR member and continue serving as Petaling Jaya MP until Parliament was dissolved.

Lee is the fourth MP to leave PKR, after Rafizi, Nik Nazmi, and Wong.

Previously, Lee cited several policy issues that contributed to his dissatisfaction with PKR, including the Urban Renewal Act, migrant worker recruitment, and the sales and service tax.

Lee first became involved in politics in 2008 as a research officer at then opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s office, and held the position until 2011.

He was subsequently elected as the Semambu assemblyperson in Pahang in 2013 and retained the seat in 2018 before winning the Petaling Jaya parliamentary seat in the 2022 general election.

In PKR, Lee held several leadership positions at the central and branch levels, including as Indera Mahkota branch chief.

Lee contested the Petaling Jaya branch chief post in last year's party election but lost to incumbent Hee Loy Sian. - Mkini