KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 — Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman stuck to his pledge and shaved his head bald on “live” TV tonight after his fundraiser for underprivileged families in Muar was a resounding success.
In a special session broadcast live by local network Astro Awani today, the chairman of Malaysia United Democratic Alliance (Muda) spent more than 20 minutes letting his mother—teacher Sharifah Mahani Syed Abdul Aziz—remove his locks using scissors and electric hair clippers.
“I feel a bit of regret,” Syed Saddiq told Astro Awani presenter Luqman Hariz when asked what he is feeling before the session.
Syed Saddiq also said that as at 7pm today, the “One Family, One Laptop” project managed to raise more than RM383,000, almost two times its original target of RM 200,000.
“And we also have about RM120,000 to RM150,000 in kind donations of refurbished laptops for the families,” he said.
During the session, he joked around with his mother and Luqman, mentioning several times about being teased on his new hairstyle which bears resemblance to his former party colleague Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir.
“I pity him, but it is for the good of the people,” he said.
On December 26, Syed Saddiq announced via his social media channels a fundraising effort to help 500 underprivileged families in the town of Muar, Johor, by giving them a laptop each and will have his hair shaved bald if the goals of RM200,000 are met.
The former Youth and Sports Minister has also been teased by his followers online for referring to himself as #YangBotak (the Bald One) alongside photos relating to baldness.
Syed Saddiq said that he will start to give away the laptops tomorrow as his team has identified the families whose income is less than RM 1,500 a month.
“We will give them ‘Chromebooks’, and I3 and I5 laptops to them,” he said.
The donations are still open on this link.
