'Muda is not here to split votes' says Syed Saddiq

PETALING JAYA - Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman refuted claims his party is just contesting in the upcoming state election to split the votes.

"I know that while I push for the same Malaysian Dream as many Muda leaders, people who are young and dynamic, coming from different professional backgrounds, multiracial and multireligious, pushing for this agenda, then comes the claim that Syed Saddiq and Muda are here to purely split votes, to help PN.

"Allow me to answer this concern; I am a man of data. Let’s look at the numbers because they are objective and do not lie.

"Do you know how many votes Perikatan Nasional (PN) received in Bandar Utama during the 2018 election? They got zero per cent. Pas didn't even attempt to fill a single position.

"Do you have any idea how many votes PN and Pas earned in Subang? They got zero per cent too. They also didn't even try to fill a position. What did they get in Bukit Gasing? A super amount of two per cent. They haven't even come close to recovering their deposit.

"The reality is that splitting votes in this area is impossible because Pas and PN are not present and do not exist, but Muda will fight them nonetheless," he said.

He also stated that this was a battle for people's consciences.

"If Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's Barisan Nasional and the PH take multiracial and reform-driven Malaysians lightly, if they treat people's votes as a safe deposit, if they treat the votes as mere numbers and statistics, Muda will be here to challenge and be the people's voice of conscience for all Malaysians." Saddiq also said that despite attempts to link the party to PN as Muda president, he assured that Muda is not PN.

"And Syed Saddiq is not PN. We are here to fight for all Malaysians in a country we can proudly call home.

"The road ahead for Muda is not an easy one. As a party who has declared our assets, we are also the first party to also declare how much money we raised and what we spent it on. After the elections, we will also push out the details of this," he added.

Despite the fact that Muda is a new party, out of the 19 candidates, we filled 53 per cent of the seats with women candidates, the first party in Malaysian politics’ history to do so, ushering in a new era of politics in Malaysia.

"This is not because of quotas, but because our women are actually credible and capable. When we talk about diversity, we want to set a proper standard for Malaysia. It is not simply about the colour of our skin or the religion we were born into. Gender, professionalism, and diversity are also important considerations," he added.

Saddiq also said to ensure that Malaysian politics will improve democratic practises and institutions so that whoever wins, our country will be on the right track.

"Because of the Malaysian Dream, which I hold, even if we lose to our opponents, we will be content because we know that our institutions of checks and balances are powerful enough to protect our country's interests and diversity.

"Muda are young and here to stay. We are here to invest in the future of our country, no matter what losses or possible wins come our way." Saddiq was speaking at the 'Ceramah Memperjuangkan Suara Rakyat' programme at Taman Megah Basketball Court SS 24/20.

Muda vice president Lim Wei Jiet and Siti Rahayu Bahrin, also known as 'Cikgu Rahayu,' Zaidel Baharuddin, Muda's Bandar Utama state seat candidate Abe Lim, and Muda's Bukit Gasing state seat candidate VKK Raja were also present.