THE decision of a political party with only a few seats to go it alone in an unforgiving first-past-the-post system is undoubtedly bold. 

Carving out political territory, especially in a two-party system, is a challenge. Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional have largely controlled the political landscape, making it difficult for Muda to gain traction.

Moreover, the heated political climate hasn’t been favourable. Close contests are expected for every seat. The BN-PH alliance has faced its fair share of seat negotiation problems. Muda’s decision to quit to coalition may actually come as a relief for the unity government as it now has one less party to appease.

On the other side, PN has no reason to yield ground to Muda, considering that the two parties target different voter bases. Muda’s urbanite and progressive ideals are unlikely to find support in a coalition that has increasingly adopted right-wing and reactionary stances.

It would be deemed a positive outcome if Muda were to manage to keep its deposits and secure a respectable third place in any seat it contests in the upcoming state elections.

Muda’s greatest appeal lies in the concept of “politik baru” (new politics) that it seeks to instil, in stark contrast to established parties which are set in their ways. Ideally, this fresh approach would inject new life and excitement into Malaysian politics for those who have grown weary of the same old narratives.

Muda has refrained from explicitly defining what constitutes new and old politics. However, if new politics entails a moderate multi-racial party, a focus on reform and anti-corruption, and a rejection of racial and religious fearmongering, then it is not entirely novel. These values have been discussed by coalitions such as Pakatan Rakyat and its successor, PH.

What may be considered “new” is a repackaging of progressive principles, which, on the surface, isn’t significantly different from what previous political parties opposing BN advocated for before 2018.

Indeed, it is true that the PH-led unity government has fallen short in implementing reforms. However, we must not forget that even as PH backtracks on reforms and adjusts to having Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as the deputy prime minister, Muda’s primary concern seems to be its exclusion from the highest-level meetings of the unity government.

As recently as April, Muda was still awaiting a response to its application to officially join PH despite signs the government was already backtracking on reforms. This is perhaps Muda’s most significant problem: while it speaks of “new politics,” its actual political conduct has lacked innovation thus far.

For instance, the decision to go solo was originally meant to remind the unity government to stay true to its ideals. However, some argue that Muda had only made the choice after realising that its chances of joining the PH coalition were slim to none.

Would Muda fall in line if PH were to entertain its application? Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has admitted the PH snubbing was the reason he decided to take his party solo.

The notion of “new politics” also appears hollow when Muda’s election strategy always involves seeking an alliance with PH. It certainly was so in the Johor polls and the November general election.

If Muda genuinely intends to eliminate the old ways and bring about something new, why was it heavily reliant on the support of traditional political parties?

If Muda is content working with PH, does that imply that PH represents “new politics”? And if that’s the case, what is Muda’s raison d’être in the first place?

Most importantly, by wanting to align with the old, Muda fails to offer anything truly new and falls short of the hopes and excitement it generated at first.

By choosing the solitary path of not aligning with either PH or PN, Muda may have finally taken the first step towards becoming the “disruptive” force in Malaysian politics, as its president had promised at its founding. However, considering that a year and a half have passed since the party’s inception, this disruption may have come too little, too late. - July 9, 2023.

* Kenneth Cheng has always been interested in the interplay between human rights and government but more importantly he is a father of two cats, Tangyuan and Toufu. When he is not attending to his feline matters, he is most likely reading books about politics and human rights or playing video games. He is a firm believer in the dictum “power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will”.

* 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.