Newbie Mp Wan Saiful A Huge Disappointment

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 I neither know this guy named Wan Saiful Wan Jan personally nor do I understand him or his political ideologies and philosophies. That is if he has any at all.
Yet, I am unhesitant to describe him as a newbie MP who is a huge disappointment, in my book at least.
I have my expectations of new, young lawmakers. In essence, I expect them to be much better all around, way more intelligent and articulate than the oldies, many of whom just refuse to go away. They must be thinkers, leaders, and reformers, not mere passengers and followers.
I support and encourage the younger set to be involved in active politics because I know they are needed more than many of the seniors who are past their prime in public service.
The young are more likely to embrace new technologies and data-driven decision-making, which can improve governance and public services. This is something many senior legislators find difficult to keep up with.
It must also be stressed that younger lawmakers have a vested interest in the long-term future of the nation, as they will be living with the consequences of today’s decisions for a longer period. This can lead to a greater focus on sustainable policies and planning for the future.
There are some new and young MPs with the potential to become future leaders of the country, provided they stay firm to their conviction that the top priority is the people’s welfare and interests and not fall by the wayside.
(As I write this, the news of Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s conviction has just been published. It was indeed unfortunate as I see much potential in the Muar MP but let his brush with the law be a lesson to all, especially the new lawmakers.)
Muhyiddin’s disciple
Also, unfortunately, Wan Saiful falls well below my expectations of a younger lawmaker. I consider the first-term Tasek Gelugor young as he is only in his 40s and a newbie MP.
Almost a year in as an MP, I have neither heard nor read anything of substance Wan Saiful has brought up in Parliament. He could have but I’ve not read any of his people-centric speeches, if any, in the media.
What I’ve gathered is that Wan Saiful is a “disciple” of Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin although some have called him a “runner” for his boss. As one of the boss’ trusted aides, Wan Saiful is at Muyhiddin’s beck and call.
Bersatu president Muhyiddin YassinWhy? Wan Saiful is young and healthy. He can easily run around as the errand boy for his boss. For doing well as the disciple, runner, and errand boy of the party president, Wan Saiful has been amply rewarded - first with the plum Tasek Gelugor seat in mainland Penang.
Read the graft charges against Wan Saiful linked to the Jana Wibawa programme. This is the best indication that the new MP is in the inner circle of the Bersatu top leadership, led by Muhyiddin.
Wow, Wan Saiful, has now handled more money than he has ever seen in his life by being in politics and serving his party boss well.
As the Bersatu information chief, Wan Saiful has another “dirty” job to handle - training his guns at the party’s opponents at every possible opportunity.
This is where the newbie politician gets into trouble too. At times, Wan Saiful is unaware he is just a political lightweight and that he is surrounded by heavyweights.
Biting more than he could chew
In recent days, Wan Saiful must have learnt one lesson the hard way - he should know his own strength and his position first before attempting to take on a political giant.
When he attempted to lecture Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing on drinking alcohol and morality, he received more than an earful in return.
The Bersatu lawmaker was told by Tiong that he should focus on his own corruption case rather than meddle with the affairs of others.
Tiong also threatened to take legal action against the Tasek Gelugor MP if the latter continued to “condemn” him for drinking alcohol.
Wan Saiful earlier commented that it was wrong for the minister to be drunk in public. This was in response to videos of the minister drinking and dancing at an event in Pelangai, Pahang, last month.
Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King SingIn a Facebook post, Tiong charged at Wan Saiful, saying it was the MP who has a bad public image now.
“I drink, I dance, does that make my image as a minister bad? Go and see what the people are saying.
“Your party talks about corruption every day but now your own party has a lot of people (facing) corruption (cases),” said Tiong.
Wow! Wan Saiful deserved the sharp tongue-lashing. The first-term MP should learn a lesson from this episode - don’t mess around with a strong personality like Tiong.
Indeed, Wan Saiful should take lessons from his senior Perikatan Nasional colleagues in Parliament. There must be good reasons why none of them desired to take on the Sarawak lawmaker.
I think the minister made his point clear - there must be respect for each other’s cultures within our multi-racial and multi-cultural society. Don’t talk negatively about each other, particularly on issues involving public behaviour and morality.
Not surprisingly, Wan Saiful kept mum and never responded to Tiong publicly.
But the MP, after becoming timid when faced with Tiong, suddenly turned into a tiger by raising the issue again with a woman, Teo Nie Ching, the deputy communications and digital minister.
And that verbal altercation in Parliament on Nov 8 will be a story for another day. - Mkini
FRANCIS PAUL SIAH is a veteran Sarawak editor and heads the Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS). He can be reached at [email protected].
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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