25-year-old candidate wants to turn sleepy Muar into the ‘northern jewel’ of Johor
Opposition politician Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (centre) taking photos with supporters after a dialogue session in Muar, Johor on May 5.
JOHOR — Cutting a lean figure and wearing a broad smile, Mr Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has ambitious plans for a 25-year-old — he wants to turn the sleepy town of Muar into the “northern jewel” of Johor.
The opposition politician is in a three-cornered fight for the Muar parliamentary seat in the May 9 general elections. He is up against incumbent three-term Member of Parliament Razali Ibrahim, from the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), and Mr Abdul Aziz Talib of Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS).
Mr Syed Saddiq is no stranger to the Malaysian public, having been in the spotlight as youth chief of opposition party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) led by former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.
But his youth has not always worked in his favour.
Last week, for instance, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, from the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government, branded the young man a political “kitten”, calling out his inexperience.
In an interview with TODAY on Saturday (May 5) evening after a dialogue session in Muar, Mr Syed Saddiq panned the criticisms, saying his youth had, in fact, been “a lot more positive than negative”.
He said older residents above 50 years old have been supportive of him. For these voters, it was a matter of whether they could see “hope in having a young person in parliament to be the voice of young people” — someone who can express the concerns of their children and grandchildren and protect their interests, he added.
“As you grow older, you tend to become more selfless. You care a lot more about your children and your grandchildren’s future.”
Still, he is clear-eyed about the challenges he faces in trying to unseat an Umno incumbent.
A lack of financial resources is one, Mr Syed Saddiq, a full-time research officer for Dr Mahathir, readily admitted.
Noting that Umno, the lynchpin party of the ruling BN coalition, could channel large amounts of funds into its campaign, he said he can “barely raise 10 per cent” of what Umno has.
Still, he believes there are other ways to penetrate hardcore supporters of Umno.
“Money is a constraint, but it’s not the be-all and end-all,” he said.
Besides tackling the issue of affordable homes in Muar, the young man wants to transform the town into a “new Muar” such that young people can look forward to building their careers and retiring there.
Right now, there is a dearth of quality, high-income jobs in Muar, forcing youth to seek opportunities in cities like Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and Singapore, he said. “They’re often stuck in the middle-income or lower-middle-income trap.”
He also wants a youth hub to be built in Muar, housing upskilling and reskilling centres. There will also be entertainment facilities like a cinema. These will, in turn, generate jobs and allow small- and medium-sized enterprises to flourish.
Pressed on the timelines for these plans, Mr Syed Saddiq acknowledged that he would take it “one by one”. For affordable homes and the youth hub, for instance, he said “one term” would suffice, although turning Muar into the northern anchor of Johor would take “slightly longer”.
On his chances of winning, Mr Syed Saddiq remained coy. “I still say 50-50. I don’t want to be too cocky nor do I want to be pessimistic,” he told TODAY, adding there was “a strong fighting chance that we can do it but we can’t be complacent”.
On the campaign trail, he wakes up at 5am to go about his activities, wrapping up only at 1 the next morning. He catches “power naps” in the car between activities.
Ultimately, his goal is to improve Malaysian society and show that young people “can do the impossible”.
“We do care and we’re not apathetic, like what some people portray us to be,” he said.
“At the same time, I want to prove to the sceptics out there that young people and youth power are important to Malaysian politics.”
