13-8-2023 (KUALA LUMPUR) MUDA President Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has taken full responsibility for the disappointing performance of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance in the recent state elections. Despite losing in all 19 seats they contested, Syed Saddiq believes that the defeat will be a valuable learning experience for the party’s young leaders.
Acknowledging the choices made by the electorate, Syed Saddiq stated that the state polls mark the initial step of a long journey for MUDA. He expressed humility and emphasized that as the president, he needs to improve. The party graciously accepts the outcome and is determined to do better in the future.
MUDA’s candidates performed poorly in the elections, with 20 constituencies seeing them lose their deposits. Among the unsuccessful candidates were MUDA Secretary-General Amir Hariri Abd Hadi, who received 1,834 votes in the Seri Serdang constituency, and R Thanusha, who obtained 2,357 votes in the Sentosa seat.
Loqman Long, MUDA’s Information Chief, managed to gather only 376 votes in the Bandar seat in Terengganu, while Viky Harikrishnan, a MUDA candidate in Penang, received a mere 253 votes in the Perai constituency. Contesting candidates lose their deposits if they fail to secure at least one-eighth or 12.5 percent of the total number of votes counted for the state constituency.
Even the youngest candidate in the election, MUDA’s Melanie Ting Yi-Hlin, 23, lost her deposit after receiving 1,462 votes in the Bukit Antarabangsa constituency. In contrast, Ng Sze Han of Pakatan Harapan (PH) achieved an impressive victory with 71,290 votes, the highest number obtained by any candidate in the state election, in the Kinrara seat contest.
Another notable result was Dr. Afif Bahardin of Perikatan Nasional (PN) winning the Taman Medan seat with the slimmest majority of just 30 votes, having secured 22,316 votes.
Regarding the possibility of forming a coalition with other parties, Syed Saddiq mentioned that it was a time for reflection. However, he emphasized that MUDA remains steadfast in its commitment to serve as a voice of conscience and provide checks and balances in the political landscape.
