"To change Malaysia is not about a person but about building institutions that will outlast the party and personality, so that the correct path remains despite whoever is in power.”

- Former Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman

COMMENT | Hopefully the answer to the title question is yes.

I have made it very clear that the PSM/Muda electoral pact is the only viable path to forestall a theocratic takeover of this country. The key word here is forestall.

You can argue that what is happening to young Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman - being found guilty of four charges involving criminal breach of trust (CBT), misappropriation of property, and money laundering linked to RM1.12 million of Bersatu Youth funds - is a form of political persecution and you could make a very good argument for that.

Those people who argue that questioning if the fix was in for Syed Saddiq are in fact questioning the judiciary is completely bonkers. Imagine if a high-profile DAP or PKR political operative was given similar treatment, how the base would react.

But Syed Saddiq is right. The cause is more important than him and in this political terrain where the progressive forces in this country are colluding with the theocratic state, the loss of Muda even as a pressure group, is something that should be of concern for those of us interested in...