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Malaysia’s Syed Saddiq eyes battle of ideas as Muda seeks youth vote in November 19 election
- Young people are ready to move on from the old guard, whose reputation has been sullied by their longevity and a series of corruption allegations, he says
- Muda aims to move beyond old political allegiances, reach a new generation of voters with its thoughtful approach to questions and criticism
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A political neophyte in an election line-up of wily veterans who have hoarded power for decades, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, 29, said his secret weapon was a change narrative and faith in the votes of young Malaysians desperate to exit the country’s doom-cycle politics.
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Speaking to This Week in Asia from his house in a quiet suburb west of Kuala Lumpur, Syed Saddiq said the country’s youth were engaged in policy – and ready to move beyond an old guard whose reputation was sullied by their longevity, internal bickering and streams of corruption allegations.
“Young people may complain and criticise a lot, but that shows that they care,” he said. “They want to see the party’s vision for the country, instead of ‘you suck and I suck less than you’.”
His comments reflect growing sentiment among Malaysians who have long held their noses while voting for the same figures, with the same political offers.
The tumultuous last two years have seen three prime ministers, graft allegations close in on key leaders – including one-time star Najib Razak – and wobbly coalitions providing few firm answers to an economy crunched by the pandemic and global inflation.
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Enter Syed Saddiq, who drove through the successful campaign to lower Malaysia’s voting age from 21 to 18 and is hoping the November 19 polls will see his party sweep up votes from the 1.39 million first-time voters.
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