In Malaysia, new political parties signal their strengths and what they can bring to the table
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Loading... - Qian Huang
- 01 Feb 2022
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The new parties add to an already fractured Malaysian political landscape, which has been in tension since the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government in March 2020 and the subsequent takeover, first by the Perikatan Nasional government and then the United Malays National Organisation-led (UMNO) administration.
Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) and Parti Kuasa Rakyat have successfully registered with the Registrar of Societies last year, while the Sarawak Workers’ Party rebranded itself as a national multiracial party known as Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM).
Then there is also a group called the Gerak Independent, which is backing personalities to stand in the next general election as independent candidates.
With a looming state election in Johor and talk of an early general election this year, what are the aims of these new parties and how do they see themselves offering something new for the Malaysian voters?
CNA speaks to the parties’ representatives to get their perspectives.
YOUTH-BASED MUDA FINALLY REGISTERED
MUDA, led by Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, initially faced hurdles in getting registered as a political party.
The Registrar of Societies (ROS) had rejected their application in early 2021.
An appeal to the Home Affairs Minister was left languishing for several months before a last minute rejection on Aug 12, 2021, just as MUDA’s suit to compel the ministry to issue a decision was about to be heard in court.
Following a new judicial review application at the end of August 2021, the High Court ordered the Home Affairs Ministry to allow the registration to proceed within 14 days on Dec 14.
The party saw a spike in membership registrations after its official registration on Dec 23, its information chief Zaidel Baharuddin said.
This led to improvements in field organisation, election preparation and fundraising. MUDA’s relief efforts during the recent floods across the country also helped drive up membership numbers, he added.
“The registration marks the arrival of MUDA as a political party with its own base and grassroots,” he said.
Although the word “muda” means young in Malay, Mr Zaidel said this did not mean that the party focused on youth-oriented messaging to the exclusion of other population segments.
“Rather, we focus more on championing key issues that cut across age, from corruption to institutional reforms, which is why we are beginning to see an increasing number of members whose ages are beyond what one would consider ‘youthful’,” he observed.
The party information chief said in the short-term, MUDA aspires to build a political movement influential enough to tip the balance in key seats and states.
For the longer term, the goal is to be an influential party with electoral gains that will allow it to enact reforms and institutional changes, he said.
“To achieve these short-term aspirations, we have to organise ourselves in every state and build a competent, effective and inspired election machinery that can galvanise our base to turn up and vote,” he added.
One way MUDA stands out, he added, is that it was founded amid the pandemic and movement controls and so it relies heavily on digitalisation to organise.
“The good thing is that this approach is quite economical, highly effective and efficient in managing a large organisation, but we do not discount the effectiveness of physical engagement,” Mr Zaidel said.
The one-month-old party has already courted some controversy as it was accused of signing up people as members without their consent.
However, MUDA denied falsely signing up non-members, stating that these were “hiccups” due to possible abuse of the party’s simple registration process.
GOVERNMENT-FRIENDLY, MULTIRACIAL PBM
PBM was originally founded as the Sarawak Workers’ Party (SWP) in 2012, before it was renamed and unveiled as PBM in November last year.
The party’s leadership includes former MPs and state legislators from Pakatan Harapan, with Julau MP and former Sarawak Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) chairman Larry Sng Wei Shen as president and incumbent Selangor state legislator Haniza Talha as deputy.
“At last count, membership was close to 100,000, with roughly 40,000 from the original SWP and over 50,000 from new registrations, including the participation of Penggerak Komuniti Negara,” said Mdm Haniza.
Penggerak Komuniti Negara is a non-governmental organisation started by Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia MP Zuraida Kamaruddin. Read More…
