Malaysia's Minister for Youth and Sport - Syed Saddiq
The Interview
BBC
4.3 • 537 Ratings
🗓️ 23 January 2019
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Until last year, Malaysia hadn't experienced a real change of government in the sixty years since independence. Prime Minister Mahatir, sailing back into power in opposition colours, can remember when Malaysia threw off the British colonial yoke. He was in his thirties then. Now in his 90s, he says next year he'll hand over to a former rival in his 70s. Malaysia’s Minister of Youth and Sport, Syed Saddiq, is the youngest cabinet minister in Asia at 26. Is it time to skip a generation?
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to a podcast from the BBC World Service. This is Hard Talk with me, Sean Lay. Thanks for downloading this edition of the programme, and I hope you enjoy it. |
| 0:10.1 | Welcome to Hard Talk on the BBC World Service with me, Sean Lay. Last year, Malaysia experienced a political earthquake. A huge corruption scandal erupted, engulfing the parties which had run the country |
| 0:21.3 | since independence six decades before. Back in power now, a familiar face from the past, |
| 0:27.9 | 93-year-old Mahatir. At his side, Asia's youngest cabinet minister, 26 years old, pretty much |
| 0:34.7 | the average age of Malaysians today. Mahatir is planning to hand power to a former political rival who's in his 70s. |
| 0:41.1 | Time to skip a generation? Or is Malaysia trapped by the attitudes of the old men still in charge? |
| 0:47.1 | Side Sadiq, Minister for Youth and Sport, welcome to Hard Talk. |
| 0:50.7 | Thank you very much. |
| 0:51.4 | Last year's general election resulted in the first change of government |
| 0:54.6 | since independence back in the mid-1950s. I mean, it's a hugely significant moment in Malaysia's history. |
| 1:01.8 | How important do you think that election will be for the country's future? To me, the fact that |
| 1:07.6 | this is the first change in government for Malaysia will allow for the youth to |
| 1:12.7 | shape the future of Malaysia for the next 20 to 30 years. We've never had a change in government |
| 1:16.7 | and now we do. And I believe what we do in the next term will determine what is to come for the |
| 1:22.0 | next 20 years. I'm very hopeful and optimistic, especially when we have more and more young people |
| 1:26.2 | shaping the future of our beloved |
| 1:27.9 | Malaysia. You've given them an opportunity to do that by lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. |
| 1:34.0 | It will be tabled in Parliament, most likely in March. And this is something that all the parties |
| 1:38.3 | of the governing coalition support, so it should become law. We need a two-third majority |
| 1:42.9 | and a constitutional amendment, but as soon as we discussed this in cabinet, I brought this up law? We need a two-third majority and a constitutional amendment, |
| 1:48.9 | but as soon as we discussed this in cabinet, I brought this up and there's a consensus on that. |
| 1:54.2 | I've been engaging with all opposition parties, UMNO, PBB, and all the opposition parties, |
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