PETALING JAYA – Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is exhorting Sabahans to seize the opportunity during the upcoming state elections to send a clear signal, not just to local leaders but those across Malaysia, to reject the politics of division.
The former youth and sports minister called on Malaysians to also reject the politics of extremism, race and religion. He said he believes in Malaysians who want politics that unite all regardless of their backgrounds.
“Politicians like myself, serve you, not the other way round. And it is through your right to vote that you can reward or punish me and other politicians,” he said in a video interview with The Vibes recently.
“In no way should you feel indebted to us, because we are your servants, we are your Yang Berkhidmat (servants), not Yang Berhormat (the honorable). Without your support, we are nobodies.
“I really hope that you take this opportunity to send a clear message of what type of politics which you want, not what we want to impose on you,” he said.
Syed Saddiq, who is Muar MP, recently announced that he had submitted an application to the Registrar of Societies (RoS) on Thursday to register his youth-led entity, Muda, as a political party.
He was formerly among the seven founding members of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) alongside former leader Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Saddiq and Dr Mahathir were among those sacked in May 2020 from the party they founded when Bersatu left the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition and formed a new government under Perikatan Nasional (PN) last March.
In the interview, Saddiq spoke about the “disgust” among Malaysians angry and disappointed over the so-called Sheraton Move in late February.
It saw MPs from PH defecting, leading to a change in the federal government and the formation of the ruling PN comprising Umno-led Barisan Nasional, PAS and Gabungan Parti Sarawak.
Saddiq said the right channel to show “disgust’” is by using the democratic right to vote in elections to punish those who betray the people’s mandate. – The Vibes, September 19, 2020
