SINGAPORE: Malaysia’s Court of Appeal has granted Malaysian member of parliament Syed Saddiq temporary access to his passport, allowing him to travel to Singapore for a youth symposium organized by the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute on Jan 21.
Syed Saddiq, MP for Muar, filed for the temporary release of his passport as he is slated to be among the speakers at the youth symposium in Singapore titled, “Youth and Civic Engagement Symposium: A Survey of Six Southeast Asian Countries”.
Other speakers include Annisa M.A. Mahesa, a member of the ruling Gerindra Party in the Indonesian House of Representatives, and Raoul Danniel Abellar Manuel, a member of the Kabataan Party-list in the Philippines’ House of Representatives.
The youth symposium is spearheaded by ISEAS’ Regional Social and Cultural Studies (RSCS), which initiated a project on “Youth and Civic Engagement in Southeast Asia Survey”.
According to a report by the MalayMail on Jan 13, Syed Saddiq’s application was heard before a three-judge panel of Justices Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali, Datuk Mohamed Zaini Mazlan and Datuk Noorin Badaruddin.
The judges allowed the temporary release of Syed Saddiq’s passport as there was no objection by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Asraf Mohamed Tahir.
Syed Saddiq, the former Malaysian Minister for Youth and Sports, stated in his application that he will be travelling to Singapore for the youth symposium on Jan 21 and will be attending a close friend’s wedding in Kota Kinabalu the following day.
Syed Saddiq, who was represented by counsel Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik and lawyers Low Wei Loke and Jonas Ee, indicated to the court that he would return to Kuala Lumpur on Jan 25 and surrender his passport two days later.
The temporary release of his passport comes as a reprieve for the embattled politician, who was found guilty by the Malaysian High Court of four charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering, and misappropriation of funds in November 2023.
The Muar MP was sentenced to seven years in jail, two strokes of the cane and fined RM10 million on Nov 9, 2023. He subsequently made an appeal to the Court of Appeal on the same day.
The Malaysian High Court allowed his application for a stay of execution on all the sentences pending an appeal. The Court of Appeal is scheduled to hear his appeal on March 19 and 20.
Youth and Civic Engagement Symposium: A Survey of Six Southeast Asian Countries. (Photo credit: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute)According to the ISEAS event page, the youth symposium “Youth and Civic Engagement Symposium: A Survey of Six Southeast Asian Countries” aims to explore the civic and political attitudes of Southeast Asian youth and provide critical insights into their pivotal role in shaping the region’s civic and political future.
The other speakers at the youth symposium are Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal (Thai student activist and founder of Sam Yan Press), Iim Halimatusa’diyah (Professor of Sociology at Islamic State University Syarif Hidayatullah), Assoc. Prof Syaza Shukri (Head of the Department of Political Science at International Islamic University Malaysia), Panarat Anamwathana (lecturer at the Department of History, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Thammasat University), and Veronica L. Gregorio (lecturer at NUS College of Humanities and Sciences).
The two-part panel sessions for the youth symposium will begin at 9.30 am with opening remarks by Mr Choi Shing Kwok, Director and Chief Executive, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute.
Panel 1 at 9.40 am, led by ISEAS researchers, will focus on key insights from a survey on patterns and trends of youth attitudes in the region. Panel 2 at 10.30 am will feature Syed Saddiq, one of the founding members of Malaysia’s youth-centric political party MUDA, and other regional politicians.
Those interested in signing up for the youth symposium may do so here. You may attend the event in person at ISEAS Seminar Room 2, or view it online.