Numan Afifi: My own decision to leave after ministry outcry

Gay activist says he was not under any pressure from Syed Saddiq, but did not want the Youth and Sports Ministry's agenda to be derailed by his presence.

Gay activist Numan Afifi says he’s going abroad for a few weeks to visit friends. (facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Gay activist Numan Afifi has explained that he decided to leave the service of Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman to spare the ministry further stress from a public outcry over his position.

The decision to leave was his alone, he told FMT on Wednesday shortly before he was due to leave for the UK for a short break.

Questions were raised early this month about his position as press officer to Syed Saddiq, and politically-aligned groups made a fuss about his sexuality and his activism for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transexual) community.

“I was under tremendous pressure and anxiety. As Syed Saddiq’s friend, and looking at the bigger picture of the work being done in the ministry, I decided to go. It was just an issue of bad timing,” he said.

Numan said Saddiq was not in the office in the few days when the issue boiled over, about a week after Syed Saddiq took office.

“When he met me in the end, on Wednesday (July 11), I think, Syed Saddiq said he respected my decision to leave. He didn’t try to convince me to stay.”

Numan did not want the heated public debate over the previous weekend to affect the ministry’s work. He would have left even if he was asked to stay. “I didn’t want their agenda to get derailed,” he said.

The daily barrage of criticism and comments took a toll on his mental health, he said. “You can imagine how anxious I must have been when I was outed (as gay) that way.”

Numan, 27, made headlines last year for organising a Pride Day breaking-of-fast event for the gay community, hosted by gay rights group Pelangi Campaign.

Numan said he and Syed Saddiq did not discuss his sexuality or ties with the LGBT community at the time. “Syed Saddiq is one who does not make his feelings known on all issues. He is hardworking and stressed about a lot of stuff.”

On July 9, after Numan had said he was stepping down, Syed Saddiq had tweeted his thanks and said “You’ll always be a bro”, which was regarded as odd at the time. Numan said he did not take offence. “He calls everyone bro, so I don’t mind.”

Syed Saddiq had thanked him for his invaluable services “since our campaigning days”, which Numan said was a reference to the work he carried out for Syed Saddiq in Muar during the general election campaign.

“I did not help him for the (press officer) position. I helped him to further the youth agenda,” Numan said. His background in youth empowerment work spans over 10 years.

He hoped that the ministry would continue with projects in which he had a keen interest, as Perdana Fellows (internships with cabinet ministers) and the Malaysian Youth Parliament.

He said he would be away for a few weeks. “I’m not leaving for good,” he explained. “I want to meet up with some friends, and NGOs like Amnesty International want to meet up with me. I’ll be back in a few weeks. I also am looking at enrolling myself in the Chevening programme for my master’s degree.” -FMT