KUALA LUMPUR – Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is on the receiving end of online criticism after he lashed out against PKR Youth chief Adam Adli Abdul Halim’s request to have the debate after polling day.
Syed Saddiq, who is also Muar MP, appeared to open himself up to online attacks when he went on a lengthy tirade on Twitter bemoaning Adam’s reply.
In the post, where he also shared a poster with a crossed-out black-and-white photo of the deputy youth and sports minister, Syed Saddiq said Adam should emulate PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli, who has challenged Perikatan Nasional (PN) figures to debate economic issues.
“But no matter, since (Adam) has declined this invitation, I would like to invite (Pakatan Harapan Youth chief) Dr Kelvin Yii to present a plan for the problems faced by youths,” tweeted Syed Saddiq.
Responding to the post, many Twitter users said the former minister was acting “immaturely” as Adam had not declined the debate invitation, instead requesting for the debate to be held after the state polls to allow the public to focus on new candidates.
“Debating is good, but when you (Syed Saddiq) are so desperate to debate until you’re willing to pick on other people, we have to understand why.
“Your party’s own candidates for the state elections are lukewarm, so you invite your opponents for a debate so that there’s a platform to be a hero and get the limelight. If not, people won’t care about Muda,” claimed user @muhammadnajib79.
Expressing similar sentiments, user @pereira9403 accused Syed Saddiq of “taking the matter out of context for the sake of his own popularity”.
“(Rafizi) invited PN MPs to debate him because PN keeps accusing the (economics) minister of having no plans for Malaysia’s economic growth. You, on the other hand, are doing this to stay relevant.”
In defending Adam, user @pragmalaya said the deputy minister had given a “measured response” while Syed Saddiq’s post “sounds petulant”, a viewpoint that appears to be shared by numerous other users.
As of press time, Syed Saddiq’s post has received nearly 700 retweets and upwards of 370 comments, many of which are condemnatory and critical.
While Dr Yii has since accepted the debate invitation, the Bandar Kuching MP also said Syed Saddiq could have contacted him personally instead of issuing the challenge online.
“I was just made aware of the debate challenge by Syed Saddiq online as I was deeply focused on the campaign trail.
“Actually, he could just (send me a) personal message about it to inform me beforehand, as we have been friends for a while, and I probably would have responded faster,” Dr Yii replied on Twitter.
He added that he has accepted the challenge due to how debates are pivotal to the unity government’s agenda, which prioritises issues important to youths, including high-value jobs, quality education, affordable housing, energy transition, and environmental protection.
However, it appears that the debate might not be happening anytime soon, as Dr Yii disclosed that he will be occupied with his responsibilities as an MP from August 5 to 11 during the 44th Asean Inter-Parliamentary General Assembly in Jakarta.
“Since this invitation came (at the) last minute, I have to declare my work schedule. Thus, once I have carried out my responsibilities and returned, I am more than willing to arrange a suitable time to have this healthy debate.
“Looking forward to the arrangement, let’s have a healthy debate purely focusing on the interests of the youths and the importance of bringing stability and shared prosperity to all in our beloved nation.” – August 4, 2023