Results show Muda can’t bank on youth vote, says analyst

 

Muda, making its electoral debut, won one seat through Amira Aisya Abd Aziz in Puteri Wangsa.

PETALING JAYA: Muda’s performance in the Johor elections, winning one seat out of the seven contested, has shown that young voters will not automatically vote for the party, says a political analyst.

The party, making its electoral debut just three months after being registered, scored its sole success through party secretary-general Amira Aisya Abd Aziz in the Puteri Wangsa seat.

James Chin of the University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute said the results proved that the country’s youth do not necessarily have a different voting pattern from their elders.

“Established parties were still able to attract these young voters.

“The youth vote did not automatically transfer to the opposition or Muda,” he said.

Muda’s failure to win more seats would create problems for DAP and Amanah, which had made way for Muda to contest in Puteri Wangsa, Tenang, Bukit Kepong, Parit Raja, Machap, Larkin and Bukit Permai.

The seats had been won by Bersatu, then part of Pakatan Harapan, and Barisan Nasional in the 2018 general election. Except for Puteri Wangsa, Muda lost to BN in the other six seats.

Chin said yesterday’s results meant Muda would not have the political strength to make demands about contesting other seats at the coming general election. - FMT