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What life for Muda without PH-BN?

Murmurs of discontent have arisen following what is perceived as a snub of the youth-based party.

Nur Hasliza Mohd Salleh
2 minute read
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A motorcyclist rides past the party flags of PKR, Muda, Perikatan Nasional and Barisan Nasional at a junction near Kampung Melayu Majidee ahead of the Johor state election in March 2022.
A motorcyclist rides past the party flags of PKR, Muda, Perikatan Nasional and Barisan Nasional at a junction near Kampung Melayu Majidee ahead of the Johor state election in March 2022.

There appear to be rumblings within youth-based party Muda following what has been described as less-than-friendly treatment by the coalition government led by Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN), MalaysiaNow understands. 

A source in the party said that Muda's leaders had been patient for a long time with the government, especially PH. 

But with elections looming in six states, fears have risen that Muda will be sidelined in discussions on the distribution of seats among the various parties. 

Earlier this month, Muda secretary-general Amir Abd Hadi was reported as being dissatisfied with the party's exclusion from the first meeting of the Unity Government Secretariat at the Umno headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. 

Amir said that Muda was not even informed of the meeting, let alone invited. 

The source said that there had been conflict over PH's explanation of the matter to Muda. 

"Anwar said that Muda was only invited at the committee level, not the main secretariat meeting," it said. 

"But Saifuddin Nasution Ismail made the secretary-general wait a long time after setting up a meeting to talk about PH and Muda. 

"Only after the secretary-general arrived did he discover that there was no meeting in the end." 

On top of that, the source said that PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli had stated that only parties with three seats or more would be invited to attend.

"But other parties with just one seat like MCA, MIC and PBM were invited," it added. 

PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim later said that other parties which support the coalition government would be invited to join the committee established at the first meeting of the secretariat on Feb 7. 

Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman welcomed the move but said he would need time for further discussions. 

Can Muda survive without PH?

Muda won just one seat at the 15th general election last year, raising questions about its survival should it choose to go solo without working with others in a coalition. 

Analyst Anis Anwar Suhaimi said if the voting pattern of the youth at the upcoming state elections mimicked that of the general election, Muda would do well to consider strategic political measures. 

He said this would allow the party to regain the support it had previously enjoyed and rethink its direction in a new political alignment. 

"But for now, it would be hard for Muda to leave PH given that it shares the same pool of voters," Anis, the chief researcher at O2 Research Malaysia, added. 

If Muda were not part of the coalition government, he said, every other party there already had its own youth wing. 

"It will need to find new strength and something unique to offer," he said. 

"For seat allocations, Muda will need to package itself with proof and confidence that they can also contribute something to the coalition government."