Lee Chin Chen

Summary

Lee Chin Chen (born 7 February 1984) is a DAP politician who has served as the Pahang State Legislative Assembly Member for Bilut since 2018 and as the assembly's Deputy Speaker since December 2022 — the first person of non-Malay ethnicity to hold that role in Pahang's history. He also chairs Pahang DAP at the state level since September 2024 and serves as Assistant National Organising Secretary of DAP nationally since March 2025. His public record spans environmental oversight, housing policy scrutiny, and coalition management within the Pakatan Harapan–Barisan Nasional unity government framework in Pahang.

Biography

Lee Chin Chen (Chinese: 李政賢; born 7 February 1984) is a Malaysian politician and member of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition [1]. He has served as the Member of the Pahang State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Bilut since May 2018, and previously held the Ketari state seat from May 2013 to May 2018 [1]. Since December 2022, he has served as Deputy Speaker of the Pahang State Legislative Assembly — a position for which he is noted as the first person of non-Malay ethnicity to hold in the history of Pahang [2]. Between July 2018 and October 2022, he served as State Leader of the Opposition in Pahang [1]. In September 2024, he was elected State Chairman of Pahang DAP, succeeding veteran leader Datuk Leong Ngah Ngah who had held the post since 2015 [3]. He has also served as Assistant National Organising Secretary of DAP at the national level since March 2025 [1]. Over his legislative career, Lee has raised issues including illegal logging in the Bentong area, PR1MA housing project discrepancies, and the economic role of the Genting Highlands resort in Pahang [4].

Known for

Lee Chin Chen is known as the first non-Malay Deputy Speaker in the history of the Pahang State Legislative Assembly, a milestone reached in December 2022 [1]. He is the incumbent Pahang DAP State Chairman since September 2024 and has been a vocal presence on state-level issues including environmental governance, housing policy, and press freedom [3]. He has represented DAP in Pahang at the state assembly level continuously since 2013, first for Ketari and then for Bilut.

Political positions

Based on publicly reported statements from allowlist sources, Lee Chin Chen has taken positions on several policy areas. On environmental governance, he has questioned the Pahang Menteri Besar's denial of illegal logging activities in the Bentong area [5]. On housing, he raised discrepancies between the Housing Ministry's written reply to the Dewan Rakyat and a notice board erected by the Bentong Forestry Department regarding a PR1MA project on a slope [5]. On economic policy, he expressed concern that closing gambling establishments in Genting Highlands could harm the local economy and the livelihoods of workers, including Muslim employees at the tourist destination [5]. On civil liberties, he urged police to drop a probe into a DAP colleague over a satirical cartoon, arguing that satire directed at politicians is a legitimate form of public expression [5]. On coalition politics, he has consistently called on PH and BN to focus electoral energy on Perikatan Nasional-held seats rather than competing among themselves [5]. He has also defended the unity government model, stating publicly that it yields positive outcomes despite the challenges of managing diverse ideologies [6].

Political career

1. May 2013First elected to the Pahang State Legislative Assembly, winning the Ketari state seat under the Pakatan Rakyat banner.⛓
2. May 2018Re-elected to the Pahang State Legislative Assembly, this time for the Bilut state seat, under the Pakatan Harapan coalition.⛓
3. July 2018Appointed State Leader of the Opposition in Pahang, a role he held until October 2022.⛓
4. November 2022Re-elected as Bilut assemblyman in the 2022 Pahang State Election held concurrently with the 15th General Election.⛓
5. December 2022Elected as Deputy Speaker of the Pahang State Legislative Assembly — the first person of non-Malay ethnicity to hold the position in Pahang's history. His name was proposed by Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.⛓
6. September 2024Elected as Pahang DAP State Chairman, succeeding Datuk Leong Ngah Ngah who had held the position since 2015.⛓
7. March 2025Appointed Assistant National Organising Secretary of DAP at the national party level.⛓

Election history

• 2022Bilut (Pahang State)Won⛓
• 2018Bilut (Pahang State)Won⛓
• 2013Ketari (Pahang State)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentLee's appointment as Deputy Speaker in December 2022 was proposed by Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail and seconded by a state EXCO member, reflecting cross-coalition support within the BN-PH unity government arrangement in Pahang.⛓
• OppositionIn November 2021, Pahang PKR Youth threatened to field a candidate against Lee over his public call for Anwar Ibrahim to step down as Opposition leader following Pakatan Harapan's loss in the Melaka state election, describing his remarks as placing unfair blame on Anwar without factual basis.⛓
• VerifiedFactsLee Chin Chen is documented as the first non-Malay Deputy Speaker in the history of the Pahang State Legislative Assembly, having assumed the role in December 2022. He has held the Bilut state seat since 2018 and was Pahang Opposition Leader from July 2018 to October 2022.⛓