What will MUDA bring to the Opposition this GE15?

KUALA LUMPUR: Fairly new to the Malaysian political landscape, it remains to be seen if youth-centric party MUDA will be able to make its mark in the coming general elections (GE15).

James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania in Australia, noted there was limited political data on Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s party.

The only information available, said Chin, was from MUDA’s maiden election in Johor, during which it secured one out of the seven seats it contested in.

“The reason why they’re interesting is because you’re talking about a completely new bloc of voters–18, 19 and 20-year-olds–and you don’t know what these people are like,” he said.

“All you know is that because of automatic registration, millions of them are on the electoral roll. There’s a big question mark about them because you don’t even know whether they’re going to come out and vote.”

Following the implementation of Undi18 in December 2021, around 5.8 million new voters were added to the electoral roll. Should they decide to cast their vote, Chin said this group could play an important role for some rural Malay seats.

Pakatan Harapan (PH) also recently announced it would be forming an electoral pact with MUDA to take on GE15 together.

Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, Associate Director at public policy, government affairs and political risk consultancy Vriens & Partners, said the challenge from here would be the matter of seat allocation.

“That was a sticking point for Johor. It will continue to be a sticking point, so I think PH or specifically PKR’s leadership will have to navigate expectations internally as well as gently carve out a lasting cooperation with MUDA, at least for the elections,” he told Astro Awani.

He also suggested that MUDA would be given the space to contest in several seats that were PH strongholds, although there might be risks of overlapping.

“But I think MUDA’s leadership is quite realistic. They understand what’s at play here for GE, and the idea is that a united opposition front will prove to be a challenge with BN which is already concerned with dilution of votes.”

In terms of how the young party may fare in the coming polls, Shazwan expects voters beyond the Klang Valley to still gravitate towards more recognisable “brands”.

Despite this, he pointed out that MUDA was made up of a youthful, dynamic team that was quick to react to sentiments on social media. An example of this was when the party swiftly organised rescue efforts during the year-end floods in 2021.

“We are entering an age where this party has mastered TikTok and ways to educate the public in 140 characters or less. PH, BN (Barisan Nasional) and PN (Perikatan Nasional) are still playing catch up to this.”

He added that MUDA would still add support to the Opposition coalition, even if they manage two or three seats in Parliament.

“On paper, that might not hold weight but they are kingmakers in the event where you need a deciding vote to tilt the scales in the coalition’s favour.

“While the election may not translate to actual wins for MUDA, the fact is their main goal is to get their first foot in the door.”