Malaysian MP Syed Saddiq invites Singaporeans to visit Muar, but some netizens say there's no real draw

With many of us looking forward to visiting Malaysia after the re-opening of the borders today (April 1), how about heading towards a lesser-known town instead — Muar? 

Malaysian politician and MP for Muar Syed Saddiq posted a Twitter video on Thursday (March 31) inviting Singaporeans to visit this town.

Singaporean friends, welcome to Muar! ❤️

Please share this video with your friends and family members! pic.twitter.com/fE86tpWZAZ

— Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) March 31, 2022

"Singaporean friends, welcome to Muar!" he wrote. 

Introducing the town as 'a place of great people, culture and amazing food', Saddiq showed audiences several reasons why this Johor town was worth visiting. 

One of the highlights in the minute-long video was Saddiq seated in a hawker centre, showcasing Muar's delicacies like otak otak and mee bandung — all at very affordable prices. 

Unfortunately, some netizens on Reddit immediately responded to his video, pouring scorn on his recommendation and remarking that there's little to see in this sleepy town compared to more popular areas like Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur. 

That being said, there were others who appreciated his efforts nonetheless. 

One of Malaysia's youngest MPs, Saddiq is no stranger to Singapore, having completed his Senior Fellowship at the National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in April 2021. 

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/CNhbx0WrQvl/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading&hl=en[/embed]

More recently, Saddiq met Singapore's Health Minister Ong Ye Kung last month while the latter was in Kuala Lumpur, and apparently managed to convince him to start a TikTok account. 

Saddiq was once Malaysia's youngest ever cabinet minister at age 25 back in 2018 but he lost his ministerial position when the Pakatan Harapan government fell in 2020. 

He is currently president of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance political party. 

ALSO READ: Thousands cross Singapore-Malaysia land borders after 2-year closure, some turned away due to lack of documents

claudiatan@asiaone.com