KUALA LUMPUR: Muar member of Parliament (MP) Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has officially announced that he will no longer be part of the Madani government.
In a video, the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) president described his decision as a "tough" one, but said it must be done.
He said the government's move to drop the 47 corruption charges against Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had made it difficult for Muda to remain with the government.
"A letter has been sent to the Dewan Rakyat speaker on the matter. The road ahead will be long and lonely but worth it, as Malaysia will always come first.
"Who would have thought that it would be this so-called reform government that would end up dropping corruption charges for the sake of power?"
Syed Saddiq added that this was not the first time he had made a decision based on his principles, and said during the Sheraton Move in 2020, he had been offered positions as minister and as a chairman in a government-linked company, but had turned them down.
"Threatened? I fought back. I fought back because I want to build a Malaysia that has dignity and integrity.
"I will not and will never allow Malaysia to normalise corruption. I am a proud Malaysian who wants to see this blessed country become a developed country which upholds the rule of law and celebrates Malaysia's diversity," said Syed Saddiq.
As Muda's sole Parliamentarian, he said he would focus on being the third force in the opposition bloc and being the voice of the people as check-and-balance.
Although he had made this decision, he said Muda would continue to support all efforts of institutional form and issues concerning the people.
"I will go live tonight at 8.30pm to explain. All of you are invited and ask any question. I will not run away," he added.