RETIRED statesman Lim Kit Siang has suggested that Muda join forces with DAP after the youth-based party failed to make any impact in yesterday’s state polls.

Lim, however, said that was just an idea and it was up to the DAP and Muda leadership to decide.

“I advise Muda not to be disheartened, and would even suggest that they explore the possibility of merging with DAP.

“I am not making an official DAP offer as I have retired from the DAP frontline leadership.

“It is only my personal opinion and it is for the leadership of DAP and Muda to decide on this political development,” he said.

Muda lost all the seats it contested in the six-state elections.

Muda’s candidacy in Sungai Kandis resulted in a three-way fight, handing Perikatan Nasional (PN) a win.

PN’s Wan Dzahanurin Ahmad secured 28,962 votes for a slim 167-vote majority over Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Zawali Mughni, who received 28,759 votes. Muda’s candidate Afriena Shaqira gained 1,341 votes.

Lim said he had advised Muda against standing in the polls but admired the idealism of the candidates although they all lost their deposits.

“The six-state polls had been a disastrous outing for Muda, which I had advised against.

“When the country is faced with a choice between Big Rights and Big Wrongs, between the opportunity to rise up again to become a great world-class nation or to continue in the trajectory which will end up in Malaysia becoming a divided, failed and corrupt state, there is no other alternative,” he added.

Lim also took a swipe at PN for failing to achieve a “sweeping win” in the state elections, as the coalition had proclaimed, towards toppling the current federal government.

PN won big in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu while taking over Malay-majority seats in Selangor from PH.

PN denied PH a two-third majority in the state for the first time in nearly 15 years.

“PN leaders of PAS and Bersatu were confident of a 5-1, if not 6-0 result and the forming of at least five state governments, but it proved to be sheer bombast.

“Even more importantly, the boast that a big PN win in the six-state polls will lead to the toppling of the Anwar Ibrahim unity government at the national level has turned out to be mere empty talk,” Lim said. – August 13, 2023.