In its first electoral outing, Muda finds Harapan holding its hand

JOHOR POLLS | The tech-savvy Muda is highly popular in cyberspace with content the party pushes on social media gaining significantly more attention than those from established parties - even as the youth-led party is only just taking its baby steps on the ground in Johor.

In the first week of the Johor polls campaign, Pakatan Harapan leaders have been at Muda's side, helping to guide the party's candidates as even some of the coalition's own supporters are unfamiliar with them.

Harapan, through Amanah and DAP, has chosen to sit out of six seats for Muda to contest in them.

This was apparent during Muda's Puteri Wangsa candidate Amira Aisya Abd Aziz's walkabout in Taman Pelangi Indah on the third day of the campaign, where she was accompanied by DAP's former Yong Peng local councillor Koh Chia Heng in the Chinese-majority area.

Koh would first approach patrons having breakfast at the local kopi tiam (coffee shops) and initiate a conversation in Mandarin, after which Amira would introduce herself and her team and distribute her name card bearing the Muda logo.

Some voters in the area, particularly the elderly, were puzzled but Koh patiently explained to them that a vote for Amira and Muda would be a vote for Harapan.

Puteri Wangsa is a mixed seat but is predominantly Chinese, at 50 percent of the population. There are also 39 percent Malays and 10 percent Indians.

Some voters there who spoke to Malaysiakini couldn't recognise Muda but a majority know who its president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is.

The reality meant that Harapan's help was crucial and the coalition members have been more than willing to assist.

Some PKR leaders helping out

Even some leaders from PKR, which has had an uneasy relationship with Muda due to a breakdown in pre-election seat negotiations, have thrown in their support for Muda.

Amira, who is the Muda secretary-general, shared that her schedule in Felda Ulu Tebrau was arranged by local PKR leaders.

“PKR friends at the national level have also given some words of encouragement to me and I am really grateful for this,” she said.

Apart from Puteri Wangsa, Muda is also contesting in Tenang, Bukit Kepong, Parit Raja, Machap, Bukit Permai and Larkin.

Larkin is the only seat where Muda has not found any support from its allies as it was not part of the six seats Harapan made way for the party.

Muda is clashing with PKR in Larkin. Amanah and DAP have agreed that they will back their Pakatan Harapan coalition partner PKR.

Muda's Larkin candidate, Rashid Abu Bakar, when contacted, acknowledged that they have to operate on their own.

He said his campaign is still pulling through, even though he has fewer resources than the six other constituencies where Muda candidates are being supported by Harapan.

Last Wednesday, DAP's Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching also campaigned for Amira, declaring to the predominantly Chinese audience: "If you support Amira and Muda, you are supporting Harapan and DAP too".

While that narrative is convenient for Harapan to convince Chinese voters, it can be toxic among Malay voters as Umno has long demonised DAP as anti-Malay, anti-Islam and painted any party that associates with the DAP as stooges.

DAP bogeyman

The duality has left some Muda leaders unsure of how to respond. Amira, for example, has been very warm about DAP's support.

"I can agree that voting for Muda equals voting for DAP, but it's also a vote for Harapan.

“It is very important for us to educate our people that our friends in DAP are not racist. They are people who share the same beliefs as us - to see people living a dignified life, regardless of race and religion," she said.

Amira also cited DAP's Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh as a mentor, quipping that she had made no effort to turn her into a Christian, a narrative often used by conservative groups to attack Yeoh.

She added their relationship is a win-win as Muda's allies make up in experience while Muda serves them as a bridge to the young voters.

Muda's Tenang candidate Lim Wei Jiet, however, is more cautious.

"What we have done is we entered a very loose electoral pact. We used our own logo. We have a different manifesto compared to Harapan.

"The only reason why we align together is to prevent clashes that would only benefit Umno/BN.

"However, voting for Muda does not mean voting for DAP. Although a lot of our values are obviously aligned, that is why we are in this pact instead of the other parties out there,” Lim stressed.

Learning the ropes

Lim is the first non-Malay candidate to be fielded in Tenang, an unconventional strategy by Muda. Previous parties, be it from the government or opposition, have always fielded Malay candidates.

Lim acknowledged that Muda’s association with DAP could be used against his party.

“I am not saying DAP is bad. I am saying that there is this perception that DAP is bad, which I think is unfair and I think they are trying to put that label on Muda as well,” said the 31-year-old lawyer.

Tenang, unlike Puteri Wangsa, is a semi-rural seat with a predominantly Malay population at 50 percent, although it is still considered a mixed seat due to its substantial non-Malay population. There are 38 percent Chinese and 11 percent Indians in Tenang.

However, Lim has continued receiving support from local Amanah leaders and also DAP's Labis MP Pang Hok Liong, who made arrangements for Lim to campaign in Felda areas and Chinese new villages.

Tenang is one of two state seats within the Labis parliamentary constituency.

Lim, who is also a Muda vice-president, admitted that his party is still inexperienced in electioneering but they have learned a lot from their allies.

“There is no shame in asking them for help. I think it is great that we are working together,” he told Malaysiakini.

DAP's Yeoh was among the first to stump for Muda's Lim, where she made an impassionate speech about how the youth-led party can help guide a generational change.

Muda's Syed Saddiq has also shared how the likes of Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang and Labis PKR chief S Ravi came to their aid.

Stronger footing

With the election campaign entering its second and final week, Muda now appears to be on a firmer footing.

According to Amira, her team has grown on a daily basis, the majority of whom are people who were never involved in politics before, including university students.

The 27-year-old said her core team has also grown from an initial four to around 20, with more than 100 volunteers.

Some grassroots supporters, mindful that Muda is relatively new, have also taken it upon themselves to assist Amira.

During a Muda programme in Desa Mutiara, a group of local residents not only turned up at the event but also brought her along to visit their neighbourhood.

The group was led by Nasir Abdullah, a representative of Desa Mutiara's residential association and a former PKR grassroots member who previously worked with Tebrau MP Steven Choong.

Choong had since defected from PKR to become a government-friendly MP. Now leaderless, Nasir decided to join Muda and assist Amira.

“We must make sure this seat will not fall to BN. That is why we are here to support Muda,” he said.

Satina Abdullah, a 56-year-old resident in Puteri Wangsa, also said she decided to back Muda although she is considered an old voter.

“This is not for us older people, but this is for our children and future.

“If Muda can really prove that they can walk the talk, our children's future will be guaranteed,” Satina said.

Puteri Wangsa is considered Muda's best chance of picking up a seat in the Johor polls. The other seats are seen as being significantly more challenging.

Campaigning for the Johor polls started on Feb 26. Johoreans will go to the polls on March 12.