YOURSAY | ‘Positioning Muda to contest Umno seats presents a promising opportunity.’
COMMENT | Why Muda going solo may be a win-win
FellowMalaysian: I think political scientist Wong Chin Huat is giving unnecessary and too much attention to a single-seat party which pales in influence and worth compared to even other minuscule parties like MCA, Gerakan, or PSM.
Wong wrote with such details and eloquence and to great lengths to muster his (likely) belief that Muda’s going solo may prove to be a boon to Pakatan Harapan-Umno's fortune in the coming six state elections.
Granted, Muda has been pushed into the corner and they are left fighting for relevance and survival.
They were given several “winnable” seats in the 15th general election but unfortunately, they failed to ignite any riveting waves.
I think that was the cause of the Harapan parties giving Muda the cold shoulder.
I also agree with DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang's view that Muda president Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman made a hasty decision to pull the party out of the coalition, even before it makes its decisions on seat allocations.
Man on the Silver Mountain: A well-thought-out analysis, which I readily agree with.
Personally, I take the position that Muda is an impractical, mere idealistic party to fill the personal agenda of Syed Saddiq.
This may be unkind but I cannot see anything else that Muda can achieve.
The good idea is being hyped by the hopeless losing public that long for an ideal Malaysia which they cannot get. It is like watching a Bollywood movie, living in an escapist world.
A vital point noted by the writer is that “most Harapan voters will be strategic voters, defined by their determination to sustain the Madani government out of deep fear and rejection of PAS.”
For this reason, many would even support Umno, which they despised just eight months ago.
So, with this, there is just no place for Muda, especially if they cannot attract the Malay-based electorates.
P Dev Anand Pillai: It will be a good start for the young Malays if they are really serious about becoming the game-changers that the nation needs.
But if it is going to be the same once they assume power, then it will be back to square one again.
Whatever is said and done, it is the Malays who will determine any change in the way the nation's politics and policies are handled and determined.
The non-Malays can only support.
So, if Muda wants to go on its own with a determination to change the way this nation works and bring about unity by supporting this nation's diversity and multi-ethnicity, then they are heading in the right direction.
Remember, corruption and abuse of power were allowed to fester and it had seeped into the work culture of the nation, with the civil service leading the pack.
So, if the young Malays are serious about revolutionising this nation and bringing it back to its past glory, then go for it.
Knucklehead: Positioning Muda to contest Umno seats presents a promising opportunity.
In such constituencies, where the candidate’s credibility is in question and the electorate is diverse, particularly with a significant number of young voters, Muda has a unique advantage.
They have the potential to win over these young voters, as well as those disillusioned with Umno’s empty rhetoric and corruption, along with the undecided voters within the Perikatan Nasional coalition.
To capitalise on this opportunity, it is crucial for Muda to carefully select candidates of exceptional calibre who can effectively address these pertinent issues.
These candidates must possess the ability to articulate the concerns regarding Umno’s track record and offer a compelling alternative.
By focusing on contesting against Harapan candidates, Muda’s efforts may be in vain as Harapan already holds a strong position in those areas.
Therefore, by strategically targeting Umno seats with questionable candidates and a broad-based electorate featuring numerous young voters, Muda stands a real chance of making a significant impact.
Nonetheless, Muda must prioritise candidate selection and ensure they possess the necessary qualities to highlight the aforementioned issues effectively.
Milshah: I think the golden rule is never to contest against an ally.
True, GPS may contest against Harapan, but who is GPS? It is strong in its own right. If a shark invades another shark’s area, even if it loses, the defending shark will let the invading shark leave and not kill it.
But when you talk about puny Muda, maybe a young clownfish, out invading a shark’s area, what do you think the shark will do to the clownfish? Let it go?
Muda is too weak to be compared to GPS, and in a dog-eat-dog world, Harapan will not accept Muda for going against it. Why should they?
Without Muda into the mix, Harapan would have one fewer mouth to feed, so to speak.
I’m so sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I’m expecting a total wipeout for Muda, with no return to Harapan.
Muda’s only chance of remaining in the game is to win seats. It's a do-or-die mission for Muda.
Maya: Muda should have taken the bold move of going it alone during the Malacca state election when they were not given any seats to contest by the then coalition.
Instead, they took the risk-free step of staying away. The other sad part is Muda was always hoping to ride on some big party or trusted some big names in politics to guide or lead them.
Never did they realise that those big names are all about themselves, they too have youth wings vying to contest when given the chance.
The current political scenario is not favourable for Muda’s partners to allow it to be part of them.
Worse, they have given Muda the cold shoulder. The party has to start building a solid base of youth supporters but this is going to come from the urban youth.
There is no way Muda’s style of politics will appeal to rural communities, but there is where the party needs to focus its hard work.
There needs to be a short-term strategy of securing a few seats and impressing not only the other parties but also the voters.
Resources are also too scarce for the party, this will burn Muda. Syed Saddiq has to realise that no party is going to invest in championing them.
Simply put, Muda is now an orphaned child, and no one cares. Please get down to the drawing board and work out some realistic plans, even if you need to sit out this time.
Malaysian politics is not easy to manoeuvre, especially in the current climate, which is grossly toxic.
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