Muda party flags seen along Pesiaran Serai Wangi u12 Shah Alam during the state elections. — RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Muda, as its name suggests, began as a promising voice for the young at the ballots; however, it has failed to gain traction among the youth, especially after being riddled with dismal election outings.
To its credit, the party, especially its co-founder and sole MP, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, had managed to get veteran and senior leaders to sit up and listen.
In his brief stint as a youth and sports minister, Syed Saddiq, who is Muar MP, was a key proponent of Undi 18 and was instrumental in the constitutional amendment that saw the voting age being lowered to 18.
However, the rosy start seems to have lost steam, with the party struggling to find a stable footing among electorates.
The Star’s analysis on youth voting streams in the six state elections found that Muda garnered barely 10% of youth votes in all the seats it contested.
The party contested 19 seats in four states in last year’s state elections.
In Selangor, where Muda contested 14 seats, it only managed to secure 5.52% of youth votes, with the worst showing in Kuala Kubu Baharu, where its candidate merely secured less than 30 votes behind Pakatan Harapan’s 1,020 and Perikatan Nasional’s 375 votes.
In Penang, where Muda contested three seats, their collective score of 127 votes in the youth streams fell short of that of Pakatan (2,911) and Perikatan (1,964).
In Temiang, which was the only seat Muda contested in Negri Sembilan, the party trailed behind Pakatan and Perikatan in terms of youth vote share.
Muda garnered 9.72%, while Pakatan got 61.03% and Perikatan secured 29.25%.
In Bandar Terengganu, its sole outing in Terengganu, Muda again trailed behind the Umno and PAS candidates.
Acknowledging the findings, Muda information chief Leben Siddharth said a thorough post-mortem has been conducted to identify the areas that needed improvements.
“Regarding our performance in the six state elections, we recognise the challenges faced as a new, resource-constrained party,” he said when contacted.
Leben said the party is currently engaging in high-level discussions with key figures across the political spectrum, including government, opposition and former political leaders.
“We are strategically evaluating whether to form our own coalition or enter into an electoral pact for GE16.
"The ultimate decision rests with Muda's political bureau, which is carefully weighing all options to maximise our impact and representation in both state and federal governments,” he said when contacted.
He said youth voters remain a strong focus for Muda.
“We're intensifying our community engagement through grassroots work, public forums, events and targeted social media interactions.
"This approach is already yielding results, with increasing membership in states like Kelantan, Penang, Perak and Sabah.
"Looking ahead to GE16, we're confident of building a stronger base and securing better resources. While some suggest it could take decades to make a significant impact, our goal is to achieve this in the next election cycle.
"It's important to note that Muda's appeal extends beyond youth demographics.
"We represent fresh ideas, better government reforms, and a fight for social democracy ideology.
"Our leadership may be youth-led, but our vision is inclusive and forward-thinking,” he added.
According to Leben, Muda will be significantly enhancing the party’s visibility and presence in the coming months.
"Our strategy involves a traditional community approach, combining digital outreach with on-the-ground engagement to connect more effectively with voters across all age groups.
"Also, Muda will be promoting leadership figures who have the potential to be strong candidates in the upcoming election.
"These individuals come from diverse backgrounds, bringing fresh perspectives and valuable resources to our party,” he said.
