'Muda is a mosquito party, to go solo has no impact' - Experts

SHAH ALAM - Muda is a mosquito party; to go solo is irrelavent and has no impact, says expert.

Political analyst and senior fellow of the National Council of Professors Dr Jeniri Amir said Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman's decision to go solo has no impact in the political arena.

"Muda is a mosquito party. It has no choice except to join forces with other political parties or alliances.

"For now, its best choice is to join Perikatan Nasional (PN) in order to have an impact on whatever action or statement is taken by Muda; otherwise, I don't think it's going to be relevant anymore," he said to Sinar Daily.

Jeniri said this because Muda has only one MP from Muar, which is its president, Syed Saddiq, and going solo could be risky.

"Without the support of Pakatan Harapan (PH), Syed Saddiq wouldn't have won his seat, so for Muda to go solo, it's going to be a very difficult situation for the party.

"Therefore, it is crucial for Muda to join other political parties because Muda only has one MP, and the seat could be risky without the support of PH," he added.

Meanwhile, political analyst Dr Ei Sun Oh said it was a wrong move for Muda to join the PN.

"It will spell the political death knell for Muda, as most of its supporters are progressive and reformist," he said.

When asked whether PN will support the coalition group (Muda joining PN), Ei said PN will certainly open its doors.

"PN would of course roll out the red carpet as it signifies that the reformists and progressives are on their side too," he said.

Commenting further, political analyst Associate Prof Dr Syaza Shukri from International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) opined that Muda would not be interested in joining PN.

"I believe Muda would not be interested in joining PN because of the very divergent priorities of the two.

"If Syed Saddiq wanted, he could have done so even back in 2020," she said.

She also said that PN would not want to join hands with Muda but may use the party to fight against the Madani government.

"I don't think PN is all that interested in courting Muda because of Muda’s lack of support on the ground.

"They may use Muda, however, in their fight against the Madani government, meaning that wherever it fits their agenda, PN will probably use the narrative of Muda against Madani," she added.

On Sept 10, Sinar Daily reported that Muda has withdrawn its support for the unity government and has chosen to be the third-force opposition.

Syed Saddiq said the government’s action in dropping the 47 corruption charges against Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has made it difficult for Muda to remain in the government.

He said the party wanted to focus on being the third force in the opposition bloc so that it could be the voice of the people and play a check and balance role.