.jpg "Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman speaks during an Armada fundraiser at the Setia City Convention Centre in Shah Alam December 2, 2019. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Yusof Mat Isa")
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2 — Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman took great risks to join the political fight against the authoritarian regime of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak as then opposition, a special officer to the home minister said today as he defended the minister from criticism of cowardice.
Marzuki Mohamad, a former academic now attached to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s office, said the youth and sports minister had also sacrificed the opportunity to study at a prestigious British university, as well as offers to fill up corporate positions with lucrative salaries, a testament of his strong character.
Marzuki’s defence of Syed Saddiq came on the back of a widely shared photo of the minister fleeing the ruckus that disrupted his party’s meeting on Friday, suspected to be the work of hired thugs.
“Let me tell you something. In the early days of fighting the kleptocratic regime, I was asked by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to approach several capable youth leaders.
“Syed Saddiq was among the first few figures I had approached and I asked him if he was willing to join Tan Sri Muhyiddin in the fight to free the country from kleptocracy. I reminded him and others of the risks that comes with the struggle. Bear in mind at the time BN was in power and they could have done things to crush dissenting voices.
“And you know what was his answer? ‘Yes Sir, I am ready to be part of the struggle’. His reply was spontaneous and he didn’t even ask for time to think. It was confident, courageous and spirited,” Marzuki wrote on his Facebook page.
He then suggested that anyone placed in Syed Saddiq’s shoes would have easily said no and take up the university or corporate offers.
Instead the minister foregone all opportunities to join a risky political struggle that promised him little both career wise or financially, he added.
“So to those who belittle Syed Saddiq, let me tell you this: He had b**ls when you didn’t!” The special officer wrote.
In an incident that is now under police investigation, Syed Saddiq was heckled by an aggressive mob while attending a Parti Pribumi Bersatu (PPBM) youth event at a restaurant in Ulu Tiram, Johor Baru, on Friday, together with his parents.
The group, dressed mostly in black, had surrounded the minister’s table before they yelled and harassed those with him, and demanded he leave Johor.
The 27-year-old PPBM leader was then forced to scale a fence to leave the venue in an attempt to avoid the fracas. Pictures of him climbing the steel fence have since been circulated online, prompting his critics to label him a “coward”.
Syed Saddiq later claimed the thugs were linked to Umno based on police information. He told reporters earlier today that he was forced to climb the fence to avoid a potential confrontation with the mob.
