Syed Saddiq and PPBM culture is why I quit, says Hamidah
Former PPBM vice-president Hamidah Osman blames youth chief Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman for party’s culture which she says doesn’t represent Malays.
PETALING JAYA: Former PPBM vice-president Hamidah Osman said she quit the party because of the uncouth behaviour of PPBM youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, and the support he appeared to receive from the party leadership.
“It’s not just about Syed Saddiq, but the whole party culture itself. The culture propagated by Syed Saddiq, that does not at all represent us as Malays and Malaysians.
“We should respect the elderly and when we want to reprimand them, there are better ways to do so. Instead of telling (me) to get lost,” she told FMT.
She was referring to Syed Saddiq’s statement to FMT in May, where the youth chief told Hamidah to “berambus” (get lost), after accusing her of masterminding the surprise resignation of more than 1,000 Perak PPBM members en masse.
He had also called Hamidah, the former Gopeng Umno Wanita chief, a hypocrite who was upset with party president Muhyiddin Yassin’s decision not to name her as PPBM Perak state chief.
Hamidah had previously responded to his claims, saying that she would write a letter to the party’s disciplinary board urging it to take action against Syed Saddiq.
She however, said today that she never sent the letter, because there “was no point in doing so when it appeared that the party leaders weren’t interested” in taking any action.
“To me, PPBM wasn’t formed just to win elections and become the government. It was also meant to educate, especially the youth, to embrace good values.
“But we see that this goal is non-existent in the party. They only aim to form a government,” Hamidah said.
She added that while leaving PPBM was not an easy decision for her to make, she had to do so as her heart was no longer with the party.
“I wanted to save the country not because it was the party’s goal. As you know, I had voiced out my concerns about the way the country was managed even before the party was formed.
“When I was sacked (from Umno) for speaking out, there wasn’t even a rumour about another party being formed. So, it was never about position for me.
“However, after being accused of being power crazy, all those words used against me broke my spirit.”
Hamidah tendered her resignation letter last Friday. Relaying what had happened when she handed the letter to Muhyiddin, Hamidah said the party president told her that if it was her final decision, then he would respect it.
She resigned just a day before PPBM founding member, Anina Saadudin, also quit the party.
Anina and another PPBM founding member, Kamarulazman Habibul Rahman, had both accused PPBM leaders of cronyism. They said those who are close to the party leaders would be appointed to top positions, while those who actually worked for the party were sidelined. Kamarulazman, who was also a PPBM supreme council member, resigned from the party in April.
Hamidah agreed with them, saying that appeared to be the trend looking at what has been happening in the party recently.
“This is the trend now. I had even issued a statement about it, urging the leaders to go down to the ground and listen to what the grassroots are really saying,” she said.
Syed Saddiq in a statement issued this evening, said he didn’t want to prolong the issue, but apologised if his actions which were meant to protect the party was construed as him being rude.
“I was just defending what I believed to be right, and I think it is my responsibility to defend the party president and deputy president,” he said.
PPBM supreme council member quits party
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