LETTER | Time to reflect on yourself, Syed Saddiq

LETTER | Recently, former youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was sentenced to seven years in jail, two strokes of the rotan, and slapped with an RM10 million fine.

This comes after the Kuala Lumpur High Court found him guilty of four charges involving criminal breach of trust (CBT), misappropriation of property, and money laundering linked to RM1.12 million of Bersatu Youth funds.

However, judge Azhar Abdul Hamid allowed the defence’s application to stay the execution of all the sentences pending Syed Saddiq’s appeal to the Court of Appeal.

Given his initial statements, Syed Saddiq seems to harbour a sense of cynicism - and possibly bitterness - believing that his advocacy for the youth, coupled with his brand of social justice and equality, should have afforded him some leniency for what may be perceived as lapses in discretion and maturity in diverting funds.

It is crucial to acknowledge that Syed Saddiq committed an error by diverting the funds. Regardless of the fact that these funds were raised through his charisma and hard work, they were collected under the banner of Bersatu, and rightfully, they belong to the party.

It’s analogous to resigning before the annual bonus and expecting it to be paid out.

As a leader, particularly one who has declared himself a champion of justice, equality, and responsibility, Syed Saddiq should recognise that he will be held to a higher standard compared to other politicians of this era.

The notion that good leaders “must be whiter than white” is not merely cynicism but a reflection of the expectations placed on leaders, especially in our religious and politically charged environment.

We all remember Zakir Naik’s disparaging remarks against the Chinese and Indian communities just last year, where Syed Saddiq was quick to jump on the bandwagon as a hero defending the rights of Malaysian minorities.

After Zakir Naik’s questions on the loyalty of Chinese and Indian citizens of Malaysia – Syed Saddiq publicly stated that the fugitive preacher should be deported back to India.

Political hypocrisy

It is no surprise that many still remember such hypocrisy. At the time, Syed Saddiq was the leader of his former party’s youth wing, Armada.

Likely in an attempt to appease grassroots supporters and put on a show, he did what he felt was needed to reinforce his position among Bersatu members, among other dubious actions by the former minister to secure his position.

Many people are right to call him a hypocrite. Following the kick that he received from Bersatu, Syed Saddiq has been working hard to court the minorities of Malaysia that he threw under the bus.

This includes being chummy with the biggest party in Parliament, DAP, through various social media stunts as well as campaigning for them in the recent Sabah by-elections. 

Bear in mind that it was as recently as this year that he publicly denounced several key members of the party for “pressuring” Dr Mahathir Mohamed to step down as prime minister and hand over the baton to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim as it was promised.

Of course, it does not make sense for him to cater to the Malay nationalist voter base again as none of the main parties wants him in their fold.

Appealing to the middle ground, namely the urban and younger voters, is his only choice left.

The willingness to U-turn so quickly just paints the picture that he is a political chameleon with no real principles. It probably would not have mattered much if he did an excellent job as the youth and sports minister, but alas he did not.

Aside from lowering the voting age (which was wanted by both sides anyway), his tenure has been “unremarkable” at best.

While he navigates the appeal process, Syed Saddiq may find solace in the prospect of emerging from this trial and prosecution with newfound wisdom, shedding any lingering naivety and the “all will love me because I am good and fair” mentality and image.

He needs to do so if he hopes to survive in his future political endeavours.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.