KUALA LUMPUR – Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has assured DAP leader Hannah Yeoh that his actions and comments against the party were not about their friendship but about the future of Malaysia.
In a statement to Yeoh, he expressed concern for a future Malaysia in which corruption was normalised by the political elite.
“To my friend, Hannah Yeoh, this is not about me nor our friendship; this is about the future of Malaysia.
“I respect you and your thoughts. Allow me to share mine.
“I worry for Malaysia’s future. A future where corruption is normalised by the political elites,” he said in the statement.
Syed Saddiq also claimed that “billions of dollars” in taxpayer money was lost in the littoral combat ship (LCS) corruption scandal, completely muted post-election by the very same people who spoke against it before.
“The unconscionable dropping of countless criminal charges against newfound friends and the political vendetta against newfound enemies.
“The mind-boggling scenario where a person who steals a can of Milo gets jail time, but stealing billions is normalised by once-upon-a-time ‘corruption fighters,’” he said.
His comments were in response to the youth and sports minister’s recent interview with Malaysiakini, in which she said it was difficult to hear her friend, Syed Saddiq, lash out against DAP, as he had called the party “hypocrites, power-hungry and without principles” in a clash with vice president Nga Kor Ming last September.
“I’m close to Syed Saddiq, and I understand that this young man believes in a multiracial Malaysia. You have to give him credit for that.
“I don’t really know what to say because I have not commented on this publicly, but yes, definitely there is some hurt,” she said when asked about how she felt about Syed Saddiq labelling DAP a “lapdog” to Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
This came after Nga issued a warning against him over Muda possibly pulling support for the coalition government.
Syed Saddiq stepped down as Muda president in November last year, but remains a member of the party.
On the LCS, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was reported as saying previously that RM6 billion had already been spent on the project and there was no choice but to complete it.
Anwar said there were ongoing projects that the government had no other option but to see through to the end, including the LCS.
Syed Saddiq also insinuated about Zahid’s discharge not amounting to an acquittal from his Yayasan Akalbudi graft trial.
“No principles, no red lines, no sense of shame. Just pure Machiavellian politics, where power trumps everything else.
“I worry for Malaysia’s future. A future where racial and religious tensions explode to epic proportions,” he lamented.
He said if today’s issues regarding socks and shoes could ignite discord in Malaysia’s unity and those who provoked such conflicts went unchecked, tomorrow they may jeopardise our children’s future indefinitely.
“If today, the once-upon-a-time fighters for meritocracy stay silent and tolerate mediocrity, tomorrow they’ll witness the death of Malaysian unity, drowned in a sea of hypocrisy.
“Simply put, ‘dulu kata lain, kini buat lain’ (doing something other than what was said previously). Today is a friend, tomorrow is an enemy, as long as you remain in power.
“I worry for Malaysia’s future. I hope you do too, my friend,” he told Yeoh. – April 9, 2024