SELANGOR Pejuang chief Harumaini Omar has refuted the state assembly’s claim that he had not attended sittings for six months, automatically triggering his expulsion.

The former Batang Kali assemblyman said he was left shocked by the decision. 

“Last year, I attended the sitting in July and the session ended in early August. The next session was in November, so do the six months also include the months that the assembly was not in session?” Harumaini asked in a report published in The Star today.

He claimed he did not attend the sessions because he was unwell.

Harumaini told the paper that he was speaking to lawyers to see if he could seek legal redress.

“I am unsure of my next move, but I wished there are some considerations accorded as the state elections are just a few months away,” he was quoted as saying.

Yesterday Selangor assembly speaker Ng Suee Lim declared the seat vacant after announcing that Harumaini had not attended sittings for more than six months.

He said Harumaini had not applied for leave to be absent from the assembly, leaving him with little option but to declare the seat vacant.

Ng said the assembly attendance records showed the last time Harumaini attended the sitting was on July 27 last year.

“Going by the Laws of the Constitution of Selangor 1959, I now declare his seat vacant effective January 28, 2023,” he said

“We also received the opinion and feedback from the chambers of the state legal officer before making the decision,” he said.

Ng said a notice will be sent to the Election Commission declaring that the Batang Kali seat was now vacant.

Harumaini won the seat in the 2018 general election with a 8,315-vote majority, polling 21,536 votes. Barisan Nasional’s Mat Nadzari Ahmad Dahlan polled 13,221 votes while PAS candidate Mohd Hasnizan Harun picked up 7,408 votes.

However Harumaini, who won the ticket on a Bersatu ticket, moved to Pejuang later. – February 17, 2023.