Taking to Facebook, Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng shared a personal handwritten note penned by his younger fellow lawmaker Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman to mark his birthday.
Lim who turned 60 yesterday said he was touched by the former youth and sports minister’s honest remarks, in which the latter admitted he once thought the older man was “the embodiment of evil”.
“Although he is less than half my age, Saddiq has proven himself to be a leader with integrity and intelligence,” the DAP secretary-general said on Facebook.
“I pray that the youths of this nation will be filled with hope and rise up to build Malaysia into “beacon of light in a disturbed and distracted world,” he added.
Lim said this is what former prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman would have envisioned for the country.
In his letter, Syed Saddiq confessed that upon first entering politics, he had a negative impression of Lim.
However, Syed Saddiq said after getting to know Lim, he learnt that it was not true.
“When I first entered politics, I thought you were the embodiment of ‘evil’.
“Years of indoctrination (mis)shaped my views of you and the family. However, after serving side-by-side, in the opposition-government-back to (the) opposition, you’ve truly changed my mind.
“You are a good man who wants the best for Malaysia,” he said.
Describing the past year as being tough, he pledged to stand side-by-side with Lim for the sake and love of Malaysia above all else.
Lim thanked Syed Saddiq for his gift from Sabahan art collective Pangrok Sulap.
“I am touched by his gesture for my birthday. He presented me with a very meaningful piece from Pangrok Sulap and a handwritten letter,” he said.