KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — Muar Member of Parliament (MP) Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman in Parliament on Monday (26 July) shocked the House after claiming that residents from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s constituency have sought help from the former’s representative office.
Quoting the Prime Minister, who gave the assurance that the government is “not going to let the people suffer”, Syed Saddiq said: “Today’s reality is very different from what he had described in his speech.”
“Honestly, I feel that he rarely visits (the people on) the ground, and that is why he does not know the real problems (faced by the people) at the grassroots level,” said the former Youth and Sports Minister.
Syed Saddiq said that there are “so many people” from Muhyiddin’s constituency of Pagoh who have approached his people’s service centre in Muar “asking for (electronic) tablets, laptops, and food baskets”.
He said that he is “not afraid” of providing a list of names of the individuals who had come forward to his constituency requesting help in obtaining such items.
A Parliament sitting, Syed Saddiq stressed, is not a session for MPs and the people to listen to a “special briefing”.
“Today, the average number of daily COVID-19 cases to date is 15,000. 200 deaths due to COVID-19 every day. Over 1,000 have committed suicide in just one year.
“Prior to the Emergency, the average (number of daily cases) was 2,000. Now, throughout the Emergency, it is 15,000 to 17,000 every day,” he highlighted.
Such alarming statistics, said Syed Saddiq, is clear evidence that in the seven months the Emergency period has been in place, the number of cases and deaths have only risen, contrary to the purported aim behind the proclamation of the Emergency.
“The Emergency has clearly failed,” he concluded.
The Parliament special meeting on Monday was the first time Parliament was convened since December last year. Prior to this, Parliament was suspended since the Emergency Proclamation in January this year.
Multiple factions of society — from politicians to legal practitioners to members of the public — have heavily criticised the closure of Parliament.
Many have also called for Muhyiddin’s resignation over the move — a move that has been branded by critics as an attempt to cling to power despite the people’s swelling anger and discontentment toward the Perikatan Nasional government.
Just days before the sitting on Monday, Syed Saddiq claimed trial to charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving RM1.12mil of funds belonging to his former political party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).
The Muar MP was formerly the leader of ARMADA, the youth wing of Bersatu while Bersatu was still a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition alongside Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the Democratic Action Party.
He now leads Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA), a multi-racial and youth-centered political party.
Syed Saddiq was slapped with charges of CBT over an alleged withdrawal of RM1mil through a cheque without the approval of Bersatu’s top leadership at the CIMB Tower in Kuala Lumpur on 6 March 2020.
He was also accused of misappropriating RM120,000 of contribution funds belonging to Bersatu meant for the 14th General Election at the Maybank branch in Taman Pandan Jaya between 8 and 21 April in 2018.
If convicted, Syed Saddiq faces 10 years of jail and whipping, on top of a fine, under Section 405 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 406 of the same Code.
The second charge, under Section 403 of the Penal Code, carries a minimum jail term of six months and a maximum of five years. Additionally, he may be subjected to whipping and a fine if convicted.
After making an appeal to the public to raise funds for the remainder of his bail amount, Syed Saddiq said that he had received RM715,573.77 from 9,836 individuals in 24 hours.
“I owe my life to Malaysia … I am forever indebted,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Friday (23 July).
He also shared a touching anecdote of an elderly man who visited his office to contribute to his fundraiser.
“I thought he was seeking assistance. It turns out that he wanted to donate RM100 to me,” said Syed Saddiq. “I felt like crying.”
He said that the court case against him will not deter him from building a prosperous and dignified Malaysia for all Malaysians.
“The more they pressure me, the more I will fight. No threats. No intimidation. No offers will ever weaken my resolve to put Malaysia first,” said Syed Saddiq.
The Star reported that Syed Saddiq has posted the remaining RM250,000 of the RM300,000 bail imposed on him for his case.
His lawyer Haijan Omar said that the MP had settled the remaining amount on Monday morning.
“The registrar confirmed that Syed Saddiq was not required to come (in person) to settle the balance,” he said.
Syed Saddiq’s case is fixed for mention on 10 September.
