KUALA LUMPUR – Youth-based party Muda’s survival in the nation’s political landscape has become uncertain after the High Court here found Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman guilty on all four corruption charges this morning, observers said.
Some political pundits viewed the guilty verdict with a twist of irony, given the 30-year-old Muar MP’s fierce anti-graft stance.
Political analyst Dr Azmi Hassan said the court’s decision could change the public’s perception of Muda as a political party.
“If his appeal against conviction and sentences at higher courts failed, then seven years is a long time for a political career.
“So I think, this (guilty verdict) is the end of Syed Saddiq. Because of his stance on corruption, he portrayed himself to be openly against the practice.
“But what he did is contrary to what the public saw today. For the party, not only do they lose a person they deemed as an icon, but the party is closely related – and even synonymous – with Syed Saddiq and his fight against corruption.
“And with this verdict, it would also cast doubts on the party itself on whether they can survive with this stigma sticking to their party,” the senior fellow of Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research said.
He added that while Syed Saddiq’s decision to step down as Muda’s president was a “good” move, his party members are highly dependent on his MP status.
Syed Saadiq was among the main founders of Muda, which was officially registered as a political party in 2021.
The party was formed after Syed Saddiq had a fallout with his former outfit Bersatu, following the infamous Sheraton move in 2020 that toppled the Pakatan Harapan (PH) led government. He is also the sole party member to hold a parliamentary seat.
Universiti Malaya’s Dr Awang Azman Awang Pagi said that the “gentlemanly” thing for Syed Saddiq to do is to remove himself from the political arena “with dignity”.
He said the Muar MP should take his time to clear his name during the appeal process.
“He (Syed Saddiq) should think about the impact of the guilty verdict handed down to him today, as it will have a domino effect on the young generations, as well as Muda.
“He had been critical towards politicians with court cases, so now, it is only time for him to be critical towards himself as well.
“Previously, there has always been a perception that corruption practises run free among people who practised ‘old politics’.
“But when this case (Syed Saddiq’s corruption case) happened, it goes to show that political misconduct involving finance management transcends age limit, parties or ethnicity,” he said.
He said that politicians should take a page from the ‘court cluster’ group, as the misdeeds of leaders would lead to serious repercussions for their respective parties.
Earlier today, High Court Judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid found Syed Saddiq guilty of one count of criminal breach of trust (CBT), one count of misappropriation of funds, and two counts of money laundering.
Damansara MP Gobind Singh Deo, who represented Syed Saddiq as defence counsel, insisted that the latter’s MP status currently remains intact, but noted the verdict would affect his position as Muda president.
Later in the day, Syed Saddiq announced his resignation as Muda president with deputy president Amira Aisya Abd Aziz taking over as acting president.
Political analyst Ainul Adzellie Hasnul echoed the view that Syed Saddiq should step away from politics to focus on his court case appeal.
“He should rest, and back up from politics if he decides to appeal, and until his name is cleared, for me, that’s how long he should step back from politics.
“Because in a way, the guilty verdict has tarnished his image as well as the Muda party’s image.
“If he wanted to lead by example, which is a strict no-corruption stance, then he should take a sabbatical leave from politics.”
He also said that it may prove to be difficult for Syed Saddiq to retain his seat in the Muar constituency, regardless of the outcome of his appeal.
“His image is tarnished… to be fair to him, he could still appeal his case, and perhaps have the decision overturned.
“But I think, Muar voters might want to have a better, new candidate to represent the constituency in parliament.”
The High Court judge also sentenced Syed Saddiq to a three-year jail term and one whipping for CBT, two years jail terms and one whipping for funds misappropriation, as well as two years jail terms and RM5 million fines for each of the money laundering charges.
He also said that Syed Saddiq is to serve another two years, for each money laundering charge, if he fails to pay the fine.
However, the sentences for money laundering charges are to be served concurrently. Therefore, Syed Saddiq will have to serve seven years in jail, pay a RM10 million fine and receive two lashes of caning in total.
Azhar also granted Syed Saddiq a stay of sentence execution pending his appeal at the Court of Appeal. – November 9, 2023