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On Monday (Aug. 2), Malaysian Member of Parliament (MP) Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman marched with some of his fellow MPs to the Dewan Rakyat building.

He was later called up by the police to give a statement on the march, on Aug. 4.

And he had an interesting book in his hands.

The representative for Muar in Johor was spotted with a copy of Lee Kuan Yew's "Hard Truths", while speaking to gathered reporters.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Syed Saddiq (@syedsaddiq)

In an Instagram post on Wednesday (Aug. 4), he reiterated his pledge to continue opposing the incumbent Perikatan Nasional (PN) government. The caption reads:

"Hannah Yeoh (MP and former Deputy Minister) and I went to Dang Wangi District Police Headquarters, and were investigated for wanting to enter Parliament last Monday.

We will not conspire with the PN Government.

I know their tactics.

They will make a terrible offer. If you reject their offer, they will threaten you, your family, your friends.

If you want to threaten (us), go ahead. We are not afraid and will not stop fighting this failed government.

Do not be scared. Be brave, for we are right. If (they) want a fight, I will fight.

This government has to go!"

What happened

The previous week, parliament met for the first time since the king declared a state of emergency in Malaysia on Jan. 12.

The declaration of a state of emergency had been requested by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, ostensibly to deal with the mounting Covid-19 crisis.

During a sitting on Jul. 29, the de facto Law Minister Takiyuddin Hassan, informed parliament that the emergency ordinances had been already revoked by the government on Jul. 21.

However, the debate fell into chaos after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim read out a statement from the king.

The statement said that the king had not given his royal assent for the revocation of the ordinances. Cries of "derhaka (treason)" were heard from the benches.

Parliament was adjourned multiple times, locked down because Covid-19 cases were detected, and a sitting scheduled for Monday, Aug. 2 was ultimately postponed on the advice of the Health Ministry.

March on parliament

Despite the postponement, the opposition MPs decided to march on parliament on Aug. 2.

Anwar, along with Mahathir Mohamad of Pejuang and others, called on Muhyiddin to resign, as they believe he has lost his majority in parliament.

The police confirmed it will launch investigations into the march and the gathering of the MPs, according to online news portal The Vibes.

Among those who marched was Syed Saddiq, who gave a speech decrying the incumbent government.

“What is clear, this is by far the most corrupt, and morally bankrupt Government in Malaysia’s history.” - @SyedSaddiq pic.twitter.com/rSOJEyrwE3

— luqmanlong (@luqmanlong) August 2, 2021

He was one of eight MPs called up to give statements to the police about their presence at the gathering, Malaysiakini reported.

As for the book, Syed Saddiq is a noted admirer of the former Minister Mentor, and secured a scholarship to study at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

Perhaps he just wanted something to read while waiting for his turn to give a statement.

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Top image from Syed Saddiq's Instagram page

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