Wee Choo Keong fails in bid to get his pension as Bukit Bintang MP

KUALA LUMPUR: Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong failed Wednesday in his bid to get his pension from the Government as Bukit Bintang MP in early 1995.

High Court Judge Datuk Mohd Zawawi Salleh dismissed Wee's application for a judicial review to quash the decision of the Public Service Department (PSD) director-general on Sept 21, 2007, not to pay his pension after the Election Court, on Aug 2, 1995, disqualified him as DAP Bukit Bintang MP.

He was disqualified due to the RM7,000 fine imposed on him by the Federal Court in 1995 for contempt for evading a court order.

The Election Court declared the Barisan Nasional candidate Dr Lee Chong Meng as the MP for the constituency after allowing his election petition.

Article 48 (3) of the Federal Constitution disqualifies a person from membership of Parliament for five years should he be convicted and sentenced to more than one year, or fined more than RM2,000.

Wee, 57, in 2007, filed for for a mandamus order that the PSD be directed to pay all the pension due to him from his 50th birthday on June 26, 2003, under the Members of Parliament (Remuneration) Act 1980.

Wee, who represented himself, told reporters that he would appeal the decision.

When asked on the amount of his pension, he said it would be more than RM100,000.

Senior federal counsel Maisarah Juhari said the judge ruled that Wee was considered a disqualified MP and hence had no right to his pension.

Maisarah said Wee had filed his application out of time in 2007.

"Wee should have filed the application within three years from his 50th birthday on June 26, 2003," she said. - Bernama