Selangor speaker Teng Chang Khim today accused Umno of looking for an excuse to delay the legislature's proceedings because of his declaring the Port Klang state seat vacant.

He said while assemblyperson Badrul Hisham Abdullah had every right to take the issue to court, the state opposition was not being honest in its reasons for opposing his ruling.

"This is a tactic to delay the process. They want to avoid a by-election by using the courts... they can use the federal and state constitutions, which state that after three years there will be no by-election," Teng told a press conference after the sitting to debate the move to amend the state constitution.

"This is their tactic. When they criticise the basis of the constitution I used, they are not honest. They simply want to avoid a by-election."

NONE Teng said he did not see any strong challenge from Badrul ( left ) against his ruling on the Port Klang seat in court, adding that his detractors have also been ambiguous in their references to the federal constitution.

"I have checked. There is nothing in the federal constitution that touches on (the issue of) vacancy. Many loyar burok cite the constitution, but did not state the article they were referring to... there are many articles, and you must state which one.

"Even the Election Commission chairman and the party lawyers never said (which articles). These lawyers are half-past-six lawyers," Teng added in an apparent reference to the Umno-linked lawyers.

Earlier today, Badrul Hisham filed a notice in the High Court in Shah Alam, challenging Teng's decision to declare his seat vacant.

Teng declared the seat vacant on Jan 16, after finding that Badrul Hisham had been absent from the state assembly, without leave, for six months.

Badrul Hisham has denied this, saying he had attended the first day of the state assembly sitting in November last year, when he also applied for leave to seek traditional medical treatment.