MUAR: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has admitted to being in constant contact with Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
The Perikatan Nasional chairman said that this is because the former Bersatu youth chief regards him as a father figure in politics.
He said Syed Saddiq sent him a message through WhatsApp praying for his victory in the Pagoh parliamentary seat.
“This is because he (Syed Saddiq) still sees me as a father; he sent me a text message praying for my victory in Pagoh. I too prayed that he will also win in Muar," said Muhyiddin.
Syed Saddiq is contesting the Muar parliamentary seat in the 15th General Election (GE15)
Also present at the ceramah was PAS president and Perikatan deputy chairman Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.
Muhyiddin added that he brought Syed Saddiq into mainstream politics by appointing the latter to become the Bersatu youth chief.
He then said that the former youth and sports minister was an intelligent person and his protege.
“Syed Saddiq is my protégé. Smart. In the early days, he did not even enter politics. When I established Bersatu, I saw that this child was good. I said come here, do not go to London first to study there. I wanted to appoint him to be Bersatu youth chief," he said.
However, Muhyiddin added that Syed Saddiq then left Bersatu and formed Muda.
"That was the beginning of his entry into politics. I don't know how he left Bersatu after that. He said he wanted to form Muda and asked for my thoughts about it because he sees me as a father until today," he said.
Syed Saddiq is in a three-cornered fight for the Muar parliamentary seat in GE15 with Perikatan's Abdullah Husin, who is also the Johor PAS commissioner and Barisan Nasional candidate Mohd Helmy Abd Latiff.
