The Syed Saddiq brand suffers more damage after accusations of cheating in triathlon event

 

Once seen as a shining beacon of youthful hope among all the old, tired faces in Malaysian politics, Syed Sadiq’s fall from grace has been nothing short of spectacular.

The founding member of MUDA (Malaysian United Democratic Alliance) has already suffered the ignominy of being sentenced to two strokes of the rotan (among other punishments) after being found guilty of criminal breach of trust.

The MP for Muar has once again attracted the wrong headlines for his perceived “cheating” in the Triathlon Desaru 2024 event held in Johor last weekend.

At the end of the gruelling multi-discipline event, the former Bersatu member had posted on social media that he had managed a podium finish.

It was then highlighted on social media that Syed had not completed the required loops at the cycling stage.

The former Minister for Youth and Sports had previously denied cheating but has since admitted that there was an “honest mistake” at the cycling stage. He maintains that he had even worn the necessary ankle bracelet to monitor movement and that he had even checked with the technical team to ensure all was in order, as he did not want to “tipu”.

The official result now categorises Syed as ‘DNF’ (did not finish).

However, many are using this as a stick to beat the 32-year-old politician. One example is a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Joker (@BayBoy2662) which suggests that the image that Syed is trying to portray is very different from reality.

The post (and those of similar ilk) has attracted plenty of comments. This is a sample of what is being said.

Needless to say, his detractors had a field day.

One said such qualities made him an ideal candidate for the current opposition bloc.

While another said a corrupt personality was a prerequisite to being a minister in this country.

While another expressed regret at joining MUDA.

One commenter pointedly asked why so many Malaysians still believe in him.

One netizen said this was not important as long as Syed was able to raise funds from such stunts. It was reported that he had managed to raise RM160,000 for his constituency of Muar on July 1 with the self-styled ‘Langkah Muar’, where he completed a 200km run.

Justified or not, the vast majority of comments seem to paint a very negative picture of the young politician, with more than a few chiding him for being a serpent-tongued attention seeker.

Regardless of whether the budding ‘Iron Man’ had made an honest mistake or was consciously trying to steal a march on his rivals at the race, it cannot be denied that the episode has further tarnished his image.

Such headlines are not a good look when trying to cultivate an image of transparency and integrity. As one netizen claims, the rakyat see him for what he really is.

 

FocusM would like to kindly suggest to the former minister that he hire a better public relations team because, rightly or wrongly, his public persona is taking a beating. – Focus Malaysia