Syed Saddiq: Muar Kitten Ready to Roar in Putrajaya

In preparing to meet new Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, one is bound to harbour a few misconceptions.

For some reason, I had the impression that Saddiq would fit the description ‘kecil-kecil cili padi’. But at around 5’11”, he is anything but small in stature.

Having debunked this myth immediately when he visited the AWANI studio for this interview got me thinking about what other things one could have gotten wrong, or missed, in the thick of the media frenzy that surrounded him pre- and post-elections.

One thing to be discovered quickly is that this is a man who has his gun cocked at all times. He is ever ready to take on any questions, answering them with an air of confidence borne out being a seasoned debater.

Good to note, at this point, that he is indeed one of the best we’ve had in the country, having won Asia’s Best Speaker award at the Asian British Parliamentary Debating Championship three times.

Another interesting thing to note is how one would be able to see how grounded he is, especially when talking about plans for his new constituency as well as his experience working with Tun Mahathir.

Whilst others his age are scrambling to score big on their personal aspirations, he is happy to continue to live in his rented flat share whilst focusing his energy and resources between Johor and the capital. And this is purely because he has big plans for both these places, embarking on a political career at state and national levels.

This interview gives us a glimpse of what we can expect from Syed Saddiq in this #MalaysiaBaharu.