Batang Kali state seat declared vacant after rep's six-month no-show

The Batang Kali seat was declared vacant today effective Jan 28 as its assemblyman Harumaini Omar had failed to attend state assembly sittings for more than six months.

Speaker Ng Suee Lim said the declaration was made in accordance with Article LXIX of the Selangor State Constitution 1959.

"The assemblyman for Batang Kali, Harumaini Omar, was found to have been absent without permission from the speaker throughout the sittings from Nov 23 to 30, 2022, Dec 1 to 2, 2022 and Dec 5 to 6, 2022," he told a press conference in Shah Alam today.

He said there were no records in the Selangor state assembly office or speaker’s office to show that the Pejuang assemblyman had applied for permission from the speaker to be absent from the assembly for that period.

"Based on official records and the attendance book, Harumaini last attended a sitting on July 27, 2022. In view that the six-month period is calculated from July 28, 2022, as provided for under Article LXIX of the Selangor State Constitution 1959, his period of absence has exceeded six months," he added.

"Therefore, in exercising my power as speaker under Article LXIX of the Selangor State Constitution 1959, I hereby declare that the seat of Harumaini has fallen vacant effective Jan 28, 2023," he said.

Ng said a notice on the vacancy would be sent to the Election Commission soon, and that Harumaini would learn of the matter following today’s press conference.

When asked, Ng said Harumaini had never written to or called him regarding his absence from the assembly.

He said Harumaini would be paid his salary and allowances as assemblyman until January but would not lose his pension.

Harumaini is not allowed to appeal the speaker’s decision and has been barred from attending the state assembly sitting beginning March 13.

According to Ng, Harumaini is the second assemblyman to lose his seat due to a prolonged absence from the assembly. The first was former Port Klang assemblyman Badrul Hisham Abdullah, who lost his seat on Jan 19, 2011 during the time of speaker Teng Chang Khim.