Muda's independent stance in state polls raises questions of proxy role

SHAH ALAM - The decision by the Malaysian Democratic Alliance Party (Muda) to contest the upcoming State Election independently is seen as an indication that the party functions as a proxy for other parties.

Political analyst from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Professor Dr Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid believes that Muda's actions, particularly those of its President, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, appear to be aimed at leveraging the votes of Pakatan Harapan (PH), as was done in the 15th General Election (GE15) and the Johor state election.

"Previously, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (former Pejuang chairman) served as a proxy. Muda also secured a seat in the GE15 and the Johor state election in 2022.

"Therefore, whether the perception held by certain circles in PH regarding Muda being a proxy is true or not, it will depend on how Syed Saddiq confidently responds to this," he told Sinar on Tuesday.

Earlier this week, Muda had announced its decision to field candidates in the upcoming elections, instead of allying with Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN).

Meanwhile, Ahmad Fauzi predicted that the relationship between Muda and PH after the state elections would be challenging, stressing the need for the new party to establish its own identity for survival.

"One thing is certain, if there is a clash between Muda and other parties, including PH, in the upcoming state election, Muda will have a tough battle against PH.

"The hope of gaining seats in cooperation with PH in the future seems unlikely.

"While parties like Pejuang, with leaders like Dr. Mahathir, showed weakness in GE15, Muda's survival in Malaysia's political landscape, characterised by the dichotomy of multiculturalism and Malay ethno-nationalism, is uncertain," he said.