LETTER | Should Harapan accept Muda?

LETTER | The question of whether Pakatan Harapan should accept Muda as an ally or even as a component party to face the upcoming GE15 has been circling the Malaysian political spectrum for quite some time.

Yesterday, according to a news report, PKR communications director Ahmad Fahmi Fadzil said he expects a final decision from Harapan’s central leadership council tomorrow (Oct 12).

In terms of political strategy, it is only wise for Harapan to accept Muda as its component party or an ally. Throughout the past years of the Undi18 fight and finally its implementation, Harapan’s rivals - BN and Perikatan Nasional (PN) - have both presented a strong youth appeal through their youth wings.

Umno Youth, under the leadership of Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, has been vocal on various key issues surrounding Malaysia throughout the past year, including the littoral combat ship (LCS) scandal, GE15 anticipation, and post-GE party polls.

On the other hand, PAS Youth leader Ahmad Fadhli Shaari is vocal on issues including youth political representation, cost of living, essential goods, corruption, graduate marketability, and MACC chief Azam Baki, which all are significant issues that received a lot of public attention. 

Though one party may not be generalisable to represent a whole coalition, these are utilisable assets for BN and PN to appeal to youth voters, which have turned crucial since the implementation of Undi18. 

Although Harapan also touches on the aforementioned issues, it doesn’t mobilise the youth wings of its current component parties enough to amplify the agenda and voices of the central leadership. Their youth wings just aren’t as prominent as those of Umno and PAS.

It’s already too late to start mobilising the youth wings now for Harapan, considering GE15 will be held within 59 days from now.

Therefore, Muda, as a youth-centric party, serves as the currently available best option for Harapan to fill up the gap of lack of youth appeal.

Harapan is hesitant to work with Muda all these times due to two reasons: Seventy percent of its seat allocation has been decided and Bersatu’s betrayal. 

The first reason is not really an excuse because as a coalition which claimed to be open to cooperation with all parties, seat allocation can always be negotiated to reach a consensus.

The second reason is an important concern for all coalitions to consider given the dark memory of the Sheraton Move in 2020.

However, before taking this as an excuse to reject Muda, Harapan must understand the core root of Sheraton Move, precisely what caused Bersatu to betray them.

Like Umno, Bersatu is a nationalist party focusing on the benefits of Malay Muslims.

As a right-wing conservative party, it certainly won’t blend well with PKR, DAP, and Amanah, which all hold centrist and reformist ideologies. 

Unlike Bersatu, Muda holds similar ideology as PKR, DAP, and Amanah, with a youth appeal. This makes it easier for Harapan to reach consensus with Muda on the distribution of benefits after GE15, minimising the chances of a second Sheraton Move. 

Though Harapan should not rule out that Muda might betray them one day, their current need for youth appeal definitely outweighs the potential future conflict.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.