Muda To Go Solo In Six State Elections, But Do You Know Why?
Muda said it’ll focus on new politics which will focus on the people’s needs.
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Muda has announced it will be contesting on its own in all six states in the upcoming state elections.
Its president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman explained that the party will no longer be cowed by fear-mongering that they would “split votes” by going solo.
Syed Saddiq said the two existing political blocs are not enough and Muda will contest using its strengths and mandates.
During the 15th general election (GE15) last October, Muda joined an electoral pact with Pakatan Harapan.
At the time, PKR president Dato Seri’ Anwar Ibrahim said Muda was not a component party to the coalition as it would require approval by the Registrar of Societies.
Muda applied to join Pakatan Harapan before GE15 last November, but there has been no progress on the matter or seat negotiations for the upcoming six state elections.
Reasons for split
Syed Saddiq denied that the rift with Pakatan Harapan was due to seat allocation negotiations.
Muda just decided to make a stand to focus on new politics. He explained that the new politics Muda brings will go beyond partisan and revolve around the people’s needs and principles.
According to Syed Saddiq, new politics, in short, is politics that is not stemmed from race or religion and returns the power to the people (decentralisation of power).
It is useless for us to be given seats, positions in the government, or positions after the state elections, but then the people’s struggles are forgotten.
Muda president Syed Saddiq
He criticised the party’s former allies for reneging on their election pledges upon assuming power. Syed Saddiq added that Muda wouldn’t need to contest in the state polls if the promises were kept.
How is Muda going to “spread the word”?
Syed Saddiq revealed that the party’s election director will be information chief Luqman Long while central exco member Ainie Haziqah will be the deputy director.
Muda’s political campaigns will be primarily virtual through live streams and online town hall sessions on social media.
However, there will still be on-the-ground efforts in all six states, especially in rural areas without an internet connection.
Syed Saddiq did not reveal the status of seat allocation negotiations within the party but said these details will be announced gradually during the campaign duration.
Muar PKR splits from Muda
In response to the news, Muar PKR said Muda’s move breaches the political cooperation within the unity government and the electoral pact between Muda and Harapan.
As such, Muar PKR secretary Esa Ali said the party decided to cease any form of cooperation with Muda in the Muar constituency.
Syed Saddiq is currently the MP in Muar.
Analysts say Muda isn’t ready
Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya told Free Malaysia Today that Muda’s decision seemed “emotional and hasty.”
He said the party may not have taken the long-term impact on its political future into consideration.
Awang said the country’s main political blocs of Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional would secure the bulk of the votes.
He predicts Muda will lose easily in the upcoming state elections because they do not have enough support as they are perceived to be too hasty and emotional when making decisions. Muda is also seen as a party that sees things from a narrow perspective.
Due to this, he believes Muda has a high risk of being irrelevant.
Awang added that it will be hard for Muda to work with Pakatan Harapan in the future due to the lack of loyalty spirit.
Another analyst, Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara, said Muda did not demonstrate they had an influence among the younger voters in GE15 and the Johor elections in March 2022.
Due to the lack of influence, Azmi believes it’ll be tough for Muda to sell their narrative.
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