Saddiq - The TikTok Influencer

There was a clear problem with the previous Pakatan Harapan government where instead of a people-centric government, Malaysians were treated to a return to “Mahathirnomics” characterised by broken trickle-down economics and a zealous commitment to the dismantling social security structures while maximizing “reward” for those at the top.

This was the government that Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman wanted to defend to the very end, one that arguably risked its own stability by Mahathir’s insistence on avoid setting a clear timeline for transition.

At this government’s height, Syed Saddiq spent every second defending the man that he once called "cikgu" (teacher).

Take, for example his “call to arms” against his political allies in DAP.

He openly threatened DAP, saying that his wing will go after the Pakatan Harapan (PH) partner unless it disciplined Sungai Pelek assemblyman Ronnie Liu’s opinion piece titled “Mahathir: The paper tiger”.

However, when DAP called Syed Saddiq’s bluff, he sidestepped the issue saying that the then on-going campaign for the Tanjung Piai election was of greater importance.

We also saw Syed Saddiq’s keen interest emulating his erstwhile mentor’s comfort of mixing policymaking with key corporate interests.

This was not just limited to Mahathir old-guards such as Vincent Tan as seen at an infamous Armada fundraising dinner, but the former minister has also openly brings his own corporate pals into the highest echelons of power if this government’s sudden u-turn of Gojek is anything to go by.

He is also not shy in making his views on race relations public. At a conference at the University of Oxford, he lamented the present of “subconscious” discrimination against the Malays.

Despite his bravado in pushing MUDA as a political force, it has simply failed to achieve the victories it needed in GE15 – leaving many question whether Saddiq is a spent force in politics.

Instead, we continue to receive TikToks videos of him interacting with local celebrities – almost content with being a simple online influencers instead of the fire-brand politician in making seen in the first GE15 era.

Is this the new generation of leadership that we all demand from him?

For the sake of all Malaysians, Syed Saddiq needs to go back to the drawing board and remember what he used to stand for in the eyes of everyday Malaysians. The instability of Mahathir’s last years in office should finally be set in the history books, allowing us to finally move into a new Malaysia.

Remember that this is the promise that you made to us, the people, Syed Saddiq - it’s time for you to finally fulfil it.