Speaker Lau Weng San is reviewing all Selangor assemblymen’s attendance records to determine if any seats should be declared vacant under state constitutional provisions.
SHAH ALAM: Selangor State Legislative Assembly Speaker Lau Weng San is reviewing the status of all state assemblymen before deciding whether any seats in the assembly should be declared vacant.
He said the review was still ongoing and involved all assemblymen, regardless of party affiliation, to ensure any decision was based on facts and in accordance with the State Constitution.
“I will provide an update once I have completed the necessary checks. At the moment, the matter is still under investigation and monitoring.
“We need to examine everything… every party, every corner. I am reviewing all constituencies because we have to consider every possibility,” he told reporters at the lobby Wisma Dewan Negeri Selangor here today.
Lau said he was unable to say when the review would be completed, adding that developments would be announced once the process was finalised.
On the possibility that some assemblymen were absent from today’s sitting because of issues related to the review, Lau said such assumptions should not be made.
“One or two assemblymen were absent today, but you have to ask them. An absence does not necessarily mean there is a problem. They may have been unable to attend for other reasons, so we should not jump to conclusions before the facts are established,” he said.
Lau said under the Selangor State Constitution, an assemblyman who fails to attend sittings for six consecutive months without permission or official notification could have his seat declared vacant.
However, he said several assemblymen had submitted letters informing the Speaker of their absence for various reasons, including health-related issues, and each case would be assessed individually before any decision was made.
Earlier today, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said a decision on the status of a Selangor state seat was expected to be finalised this week before the Election Commission (EC) determines whether a by-election should be held.
He said the state government was awaiting official notification from the Speaker on the status of the seat, while the state legal adviser was preparing the necessary note before the matter was referred to the relevant parties.