SHAH ALAM – The Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) will contest on its own logo and platform said its president, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
With the Johor state election standing to be Muda's debut into the political arena, Syed Saddiq however admits that they are considered as the underdogs compared to other established parties.
"This is our first election and we admit that we are the underdog but want to give the best service and policies as the opposition or Insyallah, in the future as the government.
"But we want to be an opposition that is united, dignified, principled, with integrity and always championing the rights of the people in the state assembly.
"That is why we will use our logo and identity,’’ he said during an exclusive interview with Sinar Harian.
Commenting on Muda secretary-general Amira Aisya Abd Aziz contesting for the Puteri Wangsa state assembly seat, Syed Saddiq said her candidacy was done in line with the party’s aspirations.
"The reason why we announced Amira Aisya first is not because of me or other party leaders but we want to show a new leadership lineup that is fresh, with more women of vision being part of Muda.
"This is because we are not dependent on a single figure or individual. Muda is bigger than Syed Saddiq and I am grateful to many leaders and grassroots of Muda that have struggled for so long.
"We are not looking for positions, contracts, rewards because we know when we join Muda, this is the start of new politics. We are not extravagant, we do not have unconditional support in every village,’’ he said.
Private sponsorship.
Syed Saddiq also denies any direct ties with ECM-Libra Foundation Chairman Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan but admitted that his party has received donations in the form of 400 tablets from the corporate figure.
However, Syed Saddiq stressed that it was not wrong to received funding from any parties provided it is done transparently and the funds are used to help the people.
"We are transparent, we are not afraid to share on this (donations). His name is Kalimullah and yes the donations (of tablets) came from ECM Libra. We do not need to be afraid because that will be used to help the needy, not money going into my pocket.
"Receipts are shared with the media and posted on social media since January (2022). If people say that only the rich are the ones donating, I have shown that RM1.8 million of funds were majorly from small donors,’’ he said.