KUALA LUMPUR – Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has published a memoir, penned over the last two years.
The 31-year-old former president of Muda said his book – titled “Jalan Tegak,” which means “upright path” – had to go through two years of drafting, writing and editing to become the “more than 300 pages” that it is now.
“Two years of going through the drafting, writing and editing to publish my 30 years of ups and downs in one book.
“In these two years many things have also happened in my life. Those who were friends became opponents. Everything is told in my book,” he said in a post on X.
His book, available for pre-order online at RM39 a copy through karangkrafmall.com, is said to cover Syed Saddiq’s “naughty” childhood, his teenage years and his debut as the youngest minister in the country’s history, according to the book’s description on the website.
Syed Saddiq was 25-years-old when he won the Muar parliamentary seat in the 2018 general election and became youth and sports minister in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration.
His memoir will also share his views on Barisan Nasional’s fall from power that year, the Sheraton Move in 2020 that toppled the PH government, and the forming of the unity government in 2022.
“I have made my fair share of mistakes in life (some success stories as well) and I’d like to share them with all of you in the hope that it teaches us valuable lessons to grow stronger and wiser,” he said on X.
“What’s certain, is that life’s experiences have taught me to continue on the upright path,” he added, referencing his memoir’s title.
He said he hoped to hold a proper book launch at a book fair scheduled for next month.
This is his second book after the 2021 publication titled Becoming An Agent of Change: How Debating Changed My Life.
Before the 2018 general election, the former champion debater said he turned down an offer to pursue his studies at Oxford University to join active politics.
He was the Bersatu Youth chief when it was a component of PH. However, he quit the party after the Sheraton Move to form youth-based party Muda which initially supported PH, but was never admitted as a formal coalition member.
Muda cut ties with PH and withdrew support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s government last year to protest the discharge not amounting to an acquittal granted to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi over his corruption charges in the Yayasan Akalbudi case.
Syed Saddiq was found guilty of corruption in November last year over the misappropriation of funds belonging to the Bersatu Youth wing when he was chief. He is currently appealing his conviction and the seven-year jail and whipping sentence imposed by the high court. – May 16, 2024