MUDA will have a hard time surviving and remaining relevant in the country’s political landscape should the party fail to strengthen its foothold by establishing close relationships with other stronger political parties, said an analyst.
According to an Utusan Malaysia report, political analyst Mujibu Abd Muis said Muda should look for a strategic partner from other parties just as it had previously done with Pakatan Harapan (PH) while being more aggressive in their fight for the people’s voices to be heard in order to survive.
“I’m seeing Muda under the leadership of Syed Saddiq (Syed Abdul Rahman) as president being stagnant, so without him, Muda will also struggle to continue living,” Mujibu, who is a senior lecturer from the Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), told the Malay daily.
On Thursday (Nov 9), it was reported that Syed Saddiq has stepped down as Muda president following his conviction for corruption charges.
Prior to this announcement, the Muar MP was found guilty of corruption over the misappropriation of funds belonging to Angkatan Bersatu Anak Muda (Armada) – Bersatu’s Youth wing – where he had served as its chief three years ago.
He was sentenced to seven years of jail, two strokes of the cane, and a RM10 mil fine following his conviction.
He also said Puteri Wangsa assemblyman Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz will act as the president following the decision made by the party’s central executive committee while he clears his name through the court process.
Meanwhile, UiTM director of Media and Information Studies Centre Prof Datuk Dr Ismail Sualman reckoned that Muda’s future is now on the brink of death and that the party might even disappear from Malaysia’s political radar.
“So far what I can see is Muda becoming less relevant. They have even lost their deposits during the 15th general election (GE15) and the state by-elections,” he pointed out.
“The number of Muda voters are also dwindling, and they can also be seen as failing to attract significant support not only from young voters but from those in other age groups as well.”
Ismail opined that Muda should establish a relationship with existing parties by either returning to PH, Perikatan Nasional (PN) or Barisan Nasional (BN).
He said with or without Syed Saddiq at the helm, the party will struggle for survival without the strong support from other parties.
The youth-based party recently announced that it was pulling its support for the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim-led unity government in protest against the withdrawal of all 47 charges faced by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
In a social media post, Syed Saddiq said the party has decided to become a “third force” opposition following the discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) for Zahid in relation to the charges of criminal breach of trust, graft and money laundering. – Nov 13, 2023
Main pic credit: Malay Mail
