Syed Saddiq facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yang Berhormat Tuan Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman MP
سيد صادق سيد عبدالرحمن‎
Saddiq in 2019
Minister of Youth and Sports
In office 2 July 2018 – 24 February 2020
Prime Minister	Mahathir Mohamad
Deputy	Steven Sim Chee Keong
Preceded by	Khairy Jamaluddin
Succeeded by	Reezal Merican Naina Merican
Constituency	Muar
1st President of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance
In office 17 September 2020 – 9 November 2023
Deputy	Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz (Acting)
1st Youth Chief of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party
In office 7 September 2016 – 28 May 2020
President	Muhyiddin Yassin
Deputy	Mohd Aizat Roslan
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Muar
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 May 2018
Preceded by	Razali Ibrahim (BN–UMNO)
Majority	6,953 (2018) 1,345 (2022)
Faction represented in Dewan Rakyat
2018–2020	Pakatan Harapan
2020	Independent
2020–	Malaysian United Democratic Alliance
Personal details
Born	Syed Saddiq bin Syed Abdul Rahman (1992-12-06) 6 December 1992 (age 32) Pulai, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Political party	Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU) (2016–2020) Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) (2020–present)
Other political affiliations	Pakatan Harapan (PH) (2017–2020)
Residences	Damansara, Selangor, Malaysia
Education	Royal Military College
Alma mater	International Islamic University Malaysia (LLB)
Occupation	Politician
Syed Saddiq on Parliament of Malaysia

Syed Saddiq bin Syed Abdul Rahman was born on December 6, 1992. He is a Malaysian politician. Since May 2018, he has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Muar. He also served as the Minister of Youth and Sports from July 2018 to February 2020. This made him the youngest federal minister in Malaysia's history.

Syed Saddiq helped start the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA). He was its first President from September 2020 to November 2023. He also helped create the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU). He was BERSATU's first Youth Chief from 2016 until May 2020. He is currently one of the youngest MPs.

In 2023, Syed Saddiq faced legal issues. He was found guilty of certain charges. After this, he resigned as MUDA president. His deputy, Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz, took over as acting president. He also became an opposition MP. He has spoken out about how government funds are given to MPs. He believes all MPs should get fair funding. He also supports changing the pension system for ministers and MPs.

Early Life and Education

Syed Saddiq was born in Pulai, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. His father was a construction worker from Singapore. His mother was an English teacher. He is the youngest of four children.

He studied at the Royal Military College (RMC). Later, he went to the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). There, he earned a degree in law.

While at IIUM, he was a successful debater. He won the United Asian Debating Championship (UADC). He also won Asia's Best Speaker award three times at the Asian British Parliamentary (ABP) Debating Championship.

In 2021, he finished a special program at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.

Starting His Political Journey

In 2015, Syed Saddiq worked as a Perdana Fellow for a government minister. This was an early step in his political career.

He became well-known in 2016. He joined 24 other young people to form a group called "Challenger." They spoke out against the government's leadership at the time.

Syed Saddiq led ARMADA, which was the youth group of the BERSATU party. He was a spokesperson for BERSATU from when it started in 2016. He was also one of its founding members.

Becoming a Minister and "Undi18"

Syed Saddiq with President Rodrigo Duterte, Senator Pacquiao and Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 2018.

Syed Saddiq ran for election in 2018 for the Muar area. He won and became a Member of Parliament. He was then made the Minister of Youth and Sports. At 25, he became the youngest federal minister in Malaysia's history.

As Minister, Syed Saddiq worked to lower the voting age in Malaysia. He wanted to change it from 21 to 18 years old. This effort was called "Undi18." He believed young people needed more political education first.

In July 2019, he presented a bill to Parliament to make this change. The bill was passed unanimously on July 16, 2019. This meant people could vote and run for election at 18. It also allowed for automatic voter registration. The change officially started on December 15, 2021.

Forming a New Political Party

In May 2020, Syed Saddiq was no longer a member of the BERSATU party. He then became an independent politician.

After leaving BERSATU, he decided to start a new political party. On August 21, 2020, he announced his plan. He wanted to create a new party for young people from all backgrounds.

On September 17, 2020, he launched the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA). It officially became a political party on December 23, 2021. In the 2023 state elections, MUDA ran against the government. However, they did not win any seats.

Important Political Ideas

Syed Saddiq has strong views on certain topics.

Supporting Palestine

He has often spoken in support of Palestine. He believes Palestine existed long before Israel. He also thinks Israel should not act as the "guardians" of Palestine. He supports Malaysia's ban on Israeli athletes. He calls for Palestine to be free.

Election Wins

Syed Saddiq has run in elections for the Parliament of Malaysia.

Awards and Recognition

Syed Saddiq has received honors and awards for his work.

Honours of Malaysia

•  Malaysia :
  • Recipient of the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (2024)

Award

• NONA Man Inspiring Award of the Nona Superhero Award (2021)