MUDA leader Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman made a bold move, sending his party on a collision course with the major political forces in the peninsula by contesting mainly in seats where Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition had better chances of winning.
Though MUDA did not dent the Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional (PH-BN) coalition, it caused one of their candidates to lose the elections. This has led to a massive onslaught against MUDA and its leader.
On Twitter, @pemikirmsia, who is a pro-PH commentator on the social media network, has this to say about MUDA’s attempt to make it big on the electoral scene.
MUDA langsung tidak mendapat sokongan pengundi muda.
MUDA hilang deposit di semua kerusi yang mereka bertanding.
MUDA berjaya pecahkan undi di Sg Kandis dan PH hilang satu kerusi di Selangor.
Terbukti, MUDA tidak boleh menang tanpa sokongan PH. Majoriti ahli /penyokong MUDA…
— Pemikir Malaysia (@pemikirmsia) August 12, 2023
(MUDA did not receive the support of young voters. MUDA lost their deposit in all the constituencies they contested. MUDA successfully split the votes in Sg Kandis and PH lost one seat in Selangor.
It’s evident that MUDA cannot win without PH’s support. The majority of MUDA members/supporters come from the PH target group. They will not vote for MUDA.
PN supporters will not vote for MUDA. MUDA has failed. I urge MUDA party members to immediately leave this useless party.
Use your God-given brains and drop your entitled attitude. Join PKR / DAP / Amanah and strengthen the youth wings. Drive change from within.)
It is impossible to judge, a day after the election results are out, whether the youth who showed support for MUDA on social media will be disgruntled with Syed or will quit the party to join other stronger forces.
However, one thing is for sure, Saddiq and MUDA are now the punching bags.
It is not that they were getting better treatment after its leader decided to launch a verbal attack against PH and BN on social media. The vibes from the majority of Twitter and Facebook users were against them.
After the elections, the hype surrounding Saddiq is now drowning in heavy criticism from the masses.
A Twitter user posted a picture showing the defeat of a PH candidate by a PN candidate by a slim margin. The reason for the defeat could be the number of votes garnered by the MUDA candidate in this three-way fight.
User @faIiqfahmie wrote: “Congratulations to MUDA for splitting the votes. That seems to be your only function.”
Tahniah la Muda bagi pecah undi. Itu je la function korang. pic.twitter.com/ia0ZNbqU2b
— 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙖𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙣 🇲🇾 (@faIiqfahmie) August 12, 2023
User @mz_hatta wrote:
Now I found a perfect usage for this meme by that young MUDA candidate #PRN15 #PRNSelangor pic.twitter.com/hApHkkfbHz
— MZHatta •GE Takaful •Maisonuts (@mz_hatta) August 12, 2023
In his post-election message, Syed said:
Win or lose, we are here to stay to serve you 🇲🇾
Thank you for coming to hear us out.
The journey to rebuild Malaysia will be long & painful, but ultimately worth it.
This blessed land is destined for success! pic.twitter.com/VGU0nJ11xt
— Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) August 11, 2023
His post received mixed messages from followers, with many saying they hoped the party could rebuild from the losses and wished the party was buried for good. – Aug 13, 2023