Muda will have limited impact in Sabah, say analysts

 

Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman at a town hall meeting with Sabah Muda members in Kota Kinabalu on Sunday.

KOTA KINABALU: Muda’s planned foray into Sabah politics will not have a big impact on the state’s political landscape, say analysts.

Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said the party would be dependent on cooperation with Warisan if it wanted to contest seats in Sabah in the 15th general election (GE15).

“But, at the same time, Warisan is facing a lack of support as some of its elected representatives have hopped parties,” he told FMT.

He said the “ideal” constituencies for Muda would be those that Warisan had claimed in the last general election.

Another analyst, Tony Paridi Bagang of Universiti Teknologi Mara, said Muda would find it a challenge to gain acceptance by Sabahans.

He said the people would be especially interested in seeing what changes Muda could bring in areas such as politics, economy and development.

However, he said, Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman could play a pivotal role in attracting young and pragmatic voters as the party was seen to have “new” political ideologies.

“But it is still too early to tell how much of the youth vote Muda can get.

“Various factors need to be taken into account, such as the sentiments of rural voters and Sabah’s well-entrenched system of patronage politics.

“In the meantime, it won’t be surprising if Muda establishes alliances with other political blocs to gain a foothold in the Sabah political landscape,” he said.

Lee Kuok Tiung of Universiti Malaysia Sabah agreed that Muda should not just focus on cooperation with Warisan but should also forge ties with other parties aligned to Warisan, led by former chief minister Shafie Apdal.

“Muda is just starting out in Sabah. It has no influence in the state except for certain areas,” he said.

Sabah Muda chairman Amos Thien last week said he hoped the Sabah branch could get off the ground before GE15.

He said the parliamentary constituencies which Muda had active grassroots support included Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Putatan and Ranau. - FMT