Youth and sports minister denies attending drug party as alleged
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 — Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman today denied an allegation that he was present at a private drug party that subsequently saw several people arrested, including Dengkil assemblyman Adhif Syan Abdullah.
The allegation was made by news portal Johor Press in a Malay article dated January 17 and titled: “Syed Saddiq sebenarnya ada di parti dadah tapi ” [“Syed Saddiq was actually at the drug party but...] that went viral on WhatsApp and third-party media Mynewshub.
“I would like to firmly state that the article published by Johor Press is not true. In fact, the allegations that there are efforts to lobby big projects in the Youth and Sports Ministry are false and have a negative impact on the image of the ministry,” Syed Saddiq said in a statement.
According to the article, the minister had attended the drug-fuelled party but was “lucky” because he left minutes before it was raided by the police.
Johor Press also published a WhatsApp image claiming that the party had been going on for three nights in a row before the bust and was organised by a businessman trying to lobby for projects in the Youth and Sports Ministry.
The private drug party saw Adhif Syan, who is also the Selangor Bersatu Youth chief, among 17 people, including other Bersatu members and government officers, detained by the police in a raid at a condominium in Kuala Lumpur on January 12.
Another high-ranking Bersatu Youth member who was detained by the police during the incident was its national assistant secretary Ahmad Redzuan Mohamed Shafi.
Syed Saddiq, who is also Bersatu Youth chief, has since suspended both Adhif Syan and Ahmad Redzuan from party duties.
Syed Saddiq said a representative from his ministry will also lodge a police report against Johor Press and will look at the legal options against anyone spreading fake news tarnishing the reputation and integrity of his ministry.
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