Saddiq wishes ex-special officer the best, stresses support for Dr M

Amid friction within Bersatu, former Youth and Sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman reiterated his stand against backing party president Muhyiddin Yassin to succeed Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister.

Muhyiddin's appointment as the eighth prime minister had sparked a rift within Bersatu.

A faction of its leaders continued to support Mahathir - who resigned as chairperson but later withdrew his decision - while a larger group had chosen to back Muhyiddin and the new Perikatan Nasional pact.

Last night, Syed Saddiq's former special officer Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, who is also contesting to be Bersatu's Titiwangsa division chief, announced on Facebook that he had, after a two-hour meeting with Muhyiddin, chose to support the Pagoh MP's leadership as prime minister.

"I wish him all the best," Syed Saddiq (photo) told reporters today when quizzed on the move by his former special officer to shift support from Mahathir to Muhyiddin.

"I won't be joining him as I would rather lose all my positions than my moral conscience," added the Muar MP, whose position as Bersatu Youth chief will be challenged at the upcoming party polls.

Wan Ahmad Fayhsal's post had attracted over 1,000 comments, including from critics who reminded him of his tweets on Feb 29, in support of Syed Saddiq and Mahathir.

Among others, he had retweeted Syed Saddiq's response to the situation within Bersatu, emphasising a need to uphold personal integrity rather than just be a part of the majority.

Md Redzuan Md Yusof and Rina Harun, among other Bersatu members, had moved to back Muhyiddin as prime minister.