Syed Saddiq bin Syed Abdul Rahman is a Malaysian politician who was born on 6 December 1992 in Pulai, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. He is the youngest of four siblings, and his father was a construction worker in Singapore while his mother was an English teacher. Saddiq studied at the Royal Military College before continuing his studies at the International Islamic University Malaysia, where he obtained his Bachelor of Laws (LLB).
During his time at the university, he participated in various debate competitions, winning the United Asian Debating Championship and the Asia Best Speaker award at the Asian British Parliamentary (ABP) Debating Championship three times. Saddiq came to prominence in 2016 when he joined a group of 24 other youths who called themselves Change Led by the Young Generation (Challenger) and published a statement rejecting Najib Razak’s leadership over the scandal of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
He became the leader of ARMADA, the youth wing of the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (BERSATU), and was elected as the Member of Parliament for Muar in the 2018 general election. He was appointed as the Minister of Youth and Sports in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration, making him the youngest-ever federal minister in 2018 since Malaysia’s independence.
During his tenure as the Minister of Youth and Sports, Saddiq pushed for a lower voting age in Malaysia, from 21 to 18 years old, which was eventually passed by Parliament in July 2019. However, he was terminated as a member and first youth chief of BERSATU in May 2020 and became an Independent. He then founded a new political party called the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) in September 2020 and has served as its first president since then.
Saddiq is widely known for his contributions to the field of politics and has successfully completed the Lee Kuan Yew Senior Fellowship in Public Service Programme at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, in April 2021. As a young and dynamic leader, he is committed to bringing positive change to Malaysia’s political landscape, with a focus on empowering the youth and promoting social justice.
