Numan Afifi Saadan, aide to Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman and founder of the Pelangi Campaign (Rainbow Campaign), resigned from his duties today as temporary press officer. The exit comes hot on the heels of divisive statements from opposition quarters questioning Numan’s affiliations with LGBTQ+ groups.
https://www.facebook.com/NumanAfifi/posts/10156341796918190
Saddiq, who last week asked to be referred to as “bro Saddiq,” released a statement this morning, thanking Numan for his service, telling him, “you’ll always be a bro.”
Your service has been invaluable bro since our campaigning days.
Stay strong and i’ll always respect your decision.
You’ll always be a bro. https://t.co/68nhiuaMqY— Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) July 9, 2018
Numan’s social media statement clarified: “The backlash and threats from opposition propagandists have made it impossible for me to exercise my duties, therefore I have decided not to work at the ministry in any official capacity.”
He also stressed that he had been given no official appointment within the minister’s office, as some members of the opposition had claimed.
He added that investigations would be carried out over allegedly doctored lists of ministry officials being circulated online:
He concluded he will be taking some time abroad to plan his next moves.
The country has lost the service of an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, a man who fought for a country of diversity without prejudice.
In June, he was pressured to resign from his position as Subang DAP publicity secretary after he broke fast in conjunction with Pride Day with the group Pelangi Campaign (Rainbow Campaign), of which he is the founding president.
Thanking Saddiq for the opportunity to serve and learn, he asked for the polemics of his resignation to not be dragged any further, and told his supporters that the youth minister also stands firm with him against any form of discrimination.
Some have wondered if the youth minister should have taken a firmer stance against opposition members, who co-opted the LGBTQ+ issue to their advantage without any resistance or words against their prejudice from the Saddiq’s office.
Alicia Amin, a public figure, model and activist, who is never afraid to use her platform to speak out against what she sees as injustices, wondered whether religious leaders had lost focus on more pertinent social issues.
While others simply see it as bigotry’s first big win in a post-election Malaysia.
We say: For the love of all things good and earnest for this country – we are better than this pettiness, and it’s time for those in power to stand up for what they believe in.
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