Fatal for Muda to enter polls alone, says analyst

 

An analyst says Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s Muda needs to woo voters of all ages and from all walks of life. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Political analyst Azmi Hassan says the new party Muda will make a fatal move if it enters the 15th general election on its own.

Azmi said Muda would need an ally, Sabah-based Warisan, if the youth-based party wanted to make a notable impact on Malaysian politics and the coming elections.

“It will be suicidal if they go to the general election without an ally,” said Azmi. “I think Warisan is a good choice. Although it is viewed as a Sabah party, its experience in politics will be a good combination with Muda’s youth.”

Warisan has reportedly said that it would join forces with Muda, set up by Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman. The party was officially registered as a political party on Dec 23.

Azmi said Muda could not survive alone as not only was it a young party, its members also mostly comprised the younger generation. “But they need to woo voters of all ages and from all walks of life.”

He said a Warisan-Muda pact would allow the two parties to complement each other, and Warisan could also spread its wings nationally with a peninsula-based partner.

However, Azmi said the question of whether it would make an impact was yet to be seen.

“Muda has no history. Its members are young and have no political experience. Look at Bersatu. Bersatu comprises seasoned politicians but it is a new party. It should have made an impact but it didn’t.

“Muda is not only a new party but also 90% of them are new faces. It will be an uphill battle for them,” he said. At the moment, Muda’s only known face was co-founder Syed Saddiq.

“In the Melaka state elections, the majority of the younger generation didn’t go to vote, while the younger candidates didn’t do too well in two state elections,” he said. “Muda has nothing to attract the older generation.”

Socio political analyst Awang Azman Pawi said in the beginning, Muda was more youth-centric but had started to appeal to all age groups to keep up with the current times.

While Muda had opened up an alternative in the political landscape, he said the party was at a disadvantage over others such as PKR, DAP and Umno, who fight for people from all walks of life, including youths.

“The next general election will give Muda a fighting chance but it has to be more competitive against the more established parties.”

Another analyst, Lee Kuok Tiung, said Muda alone would not make waves in national politics. “The most it will do is split the votes for the opposition in the coming election,” he said. - FMT