5 interesting things we noticed at MUDA’s launching event (like how PKR FFK them)

There’s been lots of buzz surrounding the upcoming Johor elections next month, with Parti MUDA to contest 6 seats there as part of an agreement with Pakatan Harapan.

So of course, we jumped at the opportunity to attend the launching ceremony of Parti MUDA at Connexion@Nexus, Kerinchi, following their successful registration as a political party at the end of last year, after failing the first time. The atmosphere at the event was electric, and, judging from the size and fervor of the crowd, it would have been easy to forget that MUDA is only 3 months old.

But although party president Syed Saddiq stole the show with his rousing speech , there were a few things we noticed while we there, as well as some others we found out from the press conference after that. For instance…

1) MUDA is an extremely diverse party, and want to field more women in elections

With women already holding several top posts within the party (such as Secretary-General Amira Aisya and Vice President Siti Rahayu Baharin), MUDA is looking to increase female representation even more in the coming election, because as Syed Saddiq says:

“If MUDA wants to be a party for Malaysia’s future, it’s not enough to nominate citizens of different races and religions, but to also ensure a large female representation.” – Syed Saddiq (translated from BM by Cilisos)

But MUDA isn’t doing diversity for diversity’s sake; as of the latest estimates provided by our source in MUDA’s information team, the party now has around 75,000-76,000 members in the whole of Malaysia, made up of 57% males and 43% females. Which, having attended the event, we can definitely attest to.

And it’s not just women too, as according to Syed Saddiq, members from all walks of life are welcome, as political experience is secondary; even top leaders Amira Aisyah, Teo Lee Ken, and Shahrizal Denci having never had prior political experience. The reason? MUDA’s party platform is based on grassroots and service politics, with the party emphasizing an individual’s work ethic rather than political experience:

“It will be a mix. We want to ensure our candidates are those who are willing to serve, willing to put in hard work, and are experienced at improving the grassroots, whether they be from NGOs, the corporate sector, or others. So it’s a mixed team.” – Syed Saddiq (translated from BM by Cilisos)

And Syed Saddiq himself is eager for these individuals to showcase their ability in the upcoming elections, as…

2) MUDA is trying to move away from just relying on Syed Saddiq

As a DOTA 2 player himself, Saddiq will know that even the mid-lane solo hard carry can’t do everything on his own all the time. And if he’s to be believed, there’s some real talent in MUDA’s ranks:

“I would like to make sure that people can see many more MUDA leaders who deserve the attention, because they are far better than me.” – Syed Saddiq (translated from BM by Cilisos)

But as to who those are, we’ll have to wait and see, as Saddiq said they’ll only announce the first candidate next week (which won’t be him).  He did also mention that the candidates in contention (many of whom are women) have experience in serving, are of diverse backgrounds, and are interested in grassroots politics.

Now, MUDA’s own plans seem solid, but of course, everyone was keen for MUDA to address the elephant in the room; namely, the details of MUDA’s agreement with Amanah and DAP. However, we were disappointed, as…

3) Syed Saddiq kept deflecting questions about the Pakatan pact

Despite being asked repeatedly by a persistent reporter in a balaclava (who had really good English, might we add), Saddiq was tight-lipped about the electoral pact signed between MUDA, Amanah, and DAP, giving a similar response each time:

“I think it’s better to let the discussions take place behind closed doors. If there is any feedback, I will notify my friends in the media.” – Syed Saddiq (translated from BM by Cilisos)

What we do know, is that as of now, the six seats to be contested by MUDA are Tenang, Bukit Kepong, Parit Raja, Machap, Puteri Wangsa, and Bukit Permai. And with UNDI18 finally kicking into action for the first time in the Johor election, MUDA’s inclusion into the mix may well give the Pakatan Harapan coalition a much-needed breath of fresh air, especially given PKR’s recent breakaway from the coalition:

“That’s why you see in establishment parties as well, talking about fielding younger candidates. I think that’s one of the biggest effects of UNDI18. Not just about fielding young candidates, but to ensure that policy outcomes and policy propositions are also in favor of young peoples.” – Syed Saddiq

Oh yeah, and speaking of PKR…

4) PKR were a no-show, despite being invited

Yep, as we mentioned in our title, PKR FFK them, showing that even Syed Saddiq gets ghosted sometimes. And it’s not just a problem for him; Amira Aisya got ghosted by them too.

Sure, Saddiq simply explained it as ‘they couldn’t make it’, but their absence leaves much uncertainty as to where PKR stands on MUDA and Pakatan. On the one hand, having dropped Pakatan and choosing to use their own logo, PKR made it seem like they were going lone ranger for the Johor elections. MUDA also shot themselves in the foot when their Kedah chapter came under fire for this controversial graphic implying PKR as complicit in political corruption:

However, recent developments have suggested otherwise; MUDA’s info chief apologized, negotiations between MUDA and PKR are said to be ‘ongoing’, and MUDA were offered three seats for the Johor elections (bringing MUDA’s potential total to 9 seats). But with that being said, things could still turn on their head, as the decision to surrender these seats did not sit well (pun somewhat intended) with the PKR grassroots:

“Admittedly there are feelings of unease among the ranks of the PKR grassroots… We respect that the seats belong to Amanah, but now Amanah has given those to MUDA, so it feels strange.” – Ahmad Syukri Ab Razak, PKR  Youth Secretary (translated from BM by Cilisos

In any case, while PKR’s view of the MUDA alliance may still be conflicted, MUDA’s definitely is not, as Syed Saddiq said during his speech at the event:

“We must not forget who our friends are. Our friends from Parti Warisan Sabah, DAP, Amanah and Parti SAINS, as well as our friends who are not here, PKR.” – Syed Saddiq

And hey, since Parti SAINS got mentioned, let’s give them a little shout-out here too. Because…

5) Parti SAINS attended the event, and have been recognized by MUDA

You know what they say, don’t let memes be dreams. And today, a meme dream actually became reality… somewhat.

In case you guys didn’t know, Parti Aspirasi Sains SeMalaysia (SAINS) (whose President Kenneth Chai we’ve interviewed in the past) is a science and evidence-based political party that began as a Twitter meme spoofing a certain political party. Their application to become a political party got rejected recently by the RoS, but trust us when we say, these guys are cool.

Just to give you guys an idea of how meme-worthy they are, they use the number 69 for everything party-related; from membership fees to their annual meeting.

So you can imagine our pleasant surprise when Syed Saddiq personally acknowledged their presence during the press conference, noting that they were the first party to accept MUDA’s invite. Not only that, he also verbally recognized their right to exist as a formal political party in Malaysia.

Not much, but definitely a start. As fellow memers, we definitely approve.

The Johor election is MUDA’s chance to show that they’re not all social media talk

Despite being new, MUDA’s membership numbers definitely don’t lie; they’ve surely got enough influence to bring about a major shift in Malaysian politics if they play their cards right.

Because despite the criticism being shot toward them about simply being famous on social media, MUDA definitely means business. And now, their alliance with Pakatan has truly made them a force to be reckoned with. We can’t say for sure what will happen in Johor, but the results will definitely provide a major indicator of things to come from MUDA.

Perhaps the mindset of MUDA going into this election can best be summed up in Syed Saddiq’s strong response to a question about them only being famous on social media:

“Let the people decide in Johor. You can evaluate for yourself; although MUDA were not registered in December, we managed to raise RM3.7 million in funds, and also mobilized more than 11,000 volunteers all across Malaysia. Bus upon bus came down from other states to provide help with cleaning houses, save the affected, and provide them with electronics. These are clear efforts from MUDA and the people. And they live to serve. And that is our focus. To see its strength, I feel it is best to let the people decide in the elections.” – Syed Saddiq (translated from BM by Cilisos)