This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 13, 2023 - November 19, 2023

Considering his young political career, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has been through quite a few ups and downs. A vocal youth activist, he entered the political arena in 2016 when he joined Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), formed by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to take on then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, following the fallout among Umno leaders over the 1MDB scandal.

Saddiq headed Bersatu Youth and was an outspoken and energetic from-the-front type of leader. A Johorean by birth, he had prior to the 2018 general election alleged that powerful forces in the state had pressured him to quit politics and not fight Umno. He refused and won the Muar seat in GE14 and went on to become the youngest cabinet minister in history at the age of 26.

As youth and sports minister, he never shied away from controversy or confrontation, even with allies. Seen as a favourite of Mahathir, his loyalty never wavered. When Muhyiddin led the Sheraton Move that brought down the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in March 2020, Saddiq refused to dump Mahathir to join the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition of Bersatu, PAS and Umno. But he also did not join his mentor’s new party, Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang).

Instead, he started the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) party, hoping to nurture a fresh political culture desired by younger Malaysians. In 2021, he was charged with misappropriating RM1 million in party funds when he was Bersatu Youth leader. He alleged that this was because he refused to support the PN coalition.

Despite the charges, Saddiq retained the Muar seat in last November’s general election with the support of PH. But he broke ranks with the coalition a few months ago and declared open warfare on his former allies in the unity government.

His conviction and hefty sentence meted out by the court has presented him with his biggest challenge. He will have a mountain to climb over the next many months as he tries to overturn the High Court decision, all the way to the Federal Court if necessary.

And while he may have few — if any at all — political allies to help him, the 30-year-old has time and many neutrals on his side. While some may question things he did in recent months, it would be premature for anyone to write off his political career because of the latest setback.

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