Syed Saddiq, Are You Sure You Are Not Pinocchio

Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has been granted a temporary release of his court-impounded passport so the Muar MP can travel to Singapore and Taiwan.

A three-person Court of Appeal bench chaired by judge Hadhariah Syed Ismail unanimously allowed the temporary release of the travel document from today until June 18.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Afif Ali did not object to the application when asked by the judge.

It is understood that prosecutors had no objection as they found the reasons cited for the temporary release reasonable.

So, what were these reasonable circumstances?

He filed a temporary passport release bid to attend the wedding of his close friend’s daughter on May 18 in Singapore.

In his supporting affidavit, the former Muda president said he wanted to accept former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo Yong-Boon’s invitation as his friend had always given him advice and guidance on how to be a politician with integrity.

But didn’t Saddiq previously criticize the circumstances behind Zahid Hamidi’s passport release – isn’t this hypocritical?

Well, really isn’t new, this hypocrisy on the part of Malaysia’s former youngest minister.

In a recent video clip, Syed Saddiq alluded to Nga regarding the RM5 million allocation announced just before the KKB by-election nomination. Nga’s statement about choosing KKB due to its good feng shui and prosperity prompted Saddiq to request a similar allocation for Muar.

Saddiq appears to harbor cynicism and bitterness, believing there’s a conspiracy against his tenure in Muar, as if the government is punishing him for going independent. However, it’s worth noting that Saddiq himself engaged in “good feng shui” practices during his time in office, allocating RM 4 million for Tanjung Piai after the GE14 by-election. Back then, the government justified it as a coincidence, not a vote-fishing attempt.

As a leader championing justice and responsibility, Saddiq should recognize the higher standard he’s held to and avoid stooping to the level of those he criticizes. The expectation that good leaders must be beyond reproach isn’t mere cynicism; it reflects the charged environment in which leaders operate.

It is no surprise that many still remember such hypocrisy. This showboating even extended to his selective reading of Ops Lalang.

Let’s remember when Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil reminded the Muar MP not to be hypocritical when claiming the government is keen to act against its critics.

In his qwords “Perhaps he (Syed Saddiq) had forgotten that there was a time before he was born, there was a leader, and during his administration, there was no freedom of speech… Those who disagreed were arrested in Ops Lalang. Ask his (Syed Saddiq’s) idol back then. If he wants to compare the past and the present, it’s like heaven and earth, so don’t be a hypocrite!”

This drama was in response to Saddiq’s statement. In it, the Muar MP claimed that today’s government is keen to take action against social media postings and has even deleted the social media accounts of certain parties that criticised the government.

This victim mentality has to stop honestly. And should be recognized as what it is, the final gasps of a hypocrite that is far too naïve for politics.