KUALA LUMPUR: Former Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman will be registering his new political party, Muda, with the Registrar of Societies (RoS) today.
He announced this during an interview with BFM 89.9 today, adding that he will proceed to the RoS office immediately after the programme at the radio station.
Syed Saddiq said his new party will be multiracial and will strive to champion the interests of the people, instead of consolidating his own political position.
Despite criticisms that a multiracial party may not appeal to Malay voters, Syed Saddiq remains optimistic that Muda can win the trust of all Malaysians, irrespective of their race and religion.
"Politics is not just about winning by pandering, it is also about working hard, despite it taking a longer time, to change the hearts and minds of people," he said.
Syed Saddiq also refuted BFM presenter Wong Shou Ning's observation that the urban leadership of Muda may not woo rural voters.
"I mean seriously, just because I can speak good English and I'm successful academically, suddenly I'm urban? Well, know me, meet me, and not just me, the team," he said.
On Aug 24, Syed Saddiq affirmed that he will be forming a youth-centric political party after parting ways with his mentor, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who formed a new Malay-based political party, Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang).
While Dr Mahathir has raised doubts about Syed Saddiq's new venture, former Umno Youth chief, Khairy Jamaluddin, expressed his support for a new youth-based party to rejuvenate the country's political landscape.