MUDA has decided to go solo in the elections in six states, setting the stage for a showdown between the young party and parties on both sides of the aisle.

With the current voting trends, how relevant is Muda to the state elections? 

It is difficult to say with certainty, but the party is unlikely to be able to form an independent political presence, at least for now. 

With 5.8 million new voters in the last general election, one would presume that this would have benefitted Muda. But the party only saw one state representative and one MP elected, both in a single state. 

Muda does not seem to have strong machinery in either the northern states or the Klang Valley, localities in which they should be able to garner the most support, ideologically and statistically speaking.

Even parties with a strong grassroots presence or personalities with strong followings in the region were unable to win. 

If this shows anything, it is that urban voters place more value in realistic politics over idealism.  

The likes of Muda and Warisan or even sincere, hardworking community leaders such as Siti Kasim may be saying and doing all the right things, but they lack the odds of being able to form a government to turn ideals into policy. 

Pakatan Harapan, while far from perfect, represents the lesser of two evils. The dynamics of having Barisan Nasional in the picture must also be considered. 

At this point, it is too soon to say if BN is a boon or bane for Pakatan Harapan, but it is hard to see the coalition doing more harm than good in the states it controls, especially in the face of the religion-fuelled nationalism of Perikatan Nasional.

Bersatu and PAS have all but abandoned centrism in favour of direct, unabashed Malay-Muslim sentiment, with just enough non-Malay tokenism to pass off as being different from Umno.

PH and BN have both toned down their politics considerably to show an absence of a bogeyman on both sides, highlighting the things they have in common while downplaying their differences. While less controversial, their rhetoric is hardly as inspiring as the chest-thumping enthusiasm of their more radical opponents. 

Still, the politics that Muda claims to represent could bode well for Malaysia.

It is high time Malaysia moved on beyond the cheap and convenient politics of race, religion and royalty, which does not help in nation building. 

However, Malaysians may not be ready to disengage from these topics despite repeated calls to reduce the political temperature. 

Plus, while Muda may be saying all the right things, is it saying it to the right people? 

Rhetoric like the ownership of Penang and repeatedly debunked azan issues need to go away, and soon. But is Muda strong enough to push the mainstream political discussion back to the middle? 

Unfortunately, it does not seem so. Muda needs time and a bigger political ally to give it a platform to grow its ideas and make them more palatable to the electorate.  

Shutting the door to such alliances at this stage could be detrimental to its cause. – June 28, 2023.

* Emmanuel Joseph firmly believes that Klang is the best place on Earth, and that motivated people can do far more good than any leader with motive.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.