Comparing Syed Saddiq, Malaysia 's 27 year

In July last year, Malaysia and world’s oldest elected leader at 92, Mahathir Mohamad appointed 27-year-old, Syed Saddiq as sports minister, in an initial 14-member cabinet.

Syed Saddiq, became the youngest-ever minister in the country’s history.

The cabinet expansion was a move seeking to stabilize the government coming months after Mahathir led a four-party alliance to oust the National Front coalition that had held power since Malaysia’s independence from Britain in 1957.

We compare the Malaysia’s sports minister to our very own Rashid Echesa.

Birth

Syed Saddiq was born on 6 December 1992 in Pulai, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia while Echesa hails from Shibale, Mumias West and prefers to be called a village boy.

Education

Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman, is a law graduate who was a prominent debater and currently youth chief of Mahathir’s party.

Unlike Syed, Rashid Echesa only underwent basic formal education.

In a report on his vetting, the former ODM national youth chairman went to Shibale primary school between 1990 to 1997 attributing his case to lack of school fees.

Rise to power

Before being elected as a member of parliament and sports minister, Syed a celebrated debater has already won three Asian British Parliamentary (ABP) Debating Championship’s Asia Best Speaker award.

Echesa was only 26 when he decided to try out politics and has seen his star rise Achesa’s journey since he started out as a youth leader for the Orange Democratic
Movement.

In 2017, he unsuccessfully vied for Mumias West parliamentary seat.

Echesa was once the chairman of the Kakamega Boxing Association.

Controversy

We all understand that while one is in power, one thing that never cease to follow them is controversy.

Echesa has been finding himself in the middle of quite a number of storms since taking office.

In October last year, he reportedly paid some three journalists to photoshop Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala’s  in a compromising situation with a non-existent woman.

The strategy was to flood the Internet with the pornographic pictures in a bid to tarnish Malala’s reputation, especially in Kakamega, where their supremacy battles have played out openly.

On his side, Syed is already barred form sharing his opinions on a number of campuses in Malaysia.

As quoted by Malaymail.com , he admitted that he is not proud of himself five years back saying that he was a racist and an Islamic radical due to his views and beliefs.

I was an Islamic radical because I would actually say if you do not pray, you would go to hell and burn in hell. Like I’ll only mingle with Muslims. People always say oh no, this person is racist or a radical and cannot be changed. No, no, no, I was exactly that and I have changed.