PETALING JAYA: Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s broadside against the unity government at the beginning of this week will only backfire and cause his party to lose support, analysts said.
Akademi Nusantara’s Azmi Hassan said the Muar MP’s latest swipe against the unity government was not a “smart move”, adding that his party is bound to lose more than it gains.
He said Muda’s political survival still hinges on support from Pakatan Harapan, the biggest component of Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government.
Asked why Muda could not turn to Perikatan Nasional for backing, Azmi said that unlike MCA and MIC, the youth party has not been invited by the opposition coalition to join forces.
“This shows that Muda does not have the political clout to attract PN,” he said.
Before the six state elections, PN election director Sanusi Nor had said his coalition was ready to welcome MCA and MIC into its fold to contest mixed seats if the two parties decided to quit Barisan Nasional following claims of “unfair treatment”.
Both MCA and MIC eventually decided to skip the polls altogether, saying they would instead focus on preparing for the 16th general election.
On Monday, Syed Saddiq called Anwar’s administration a “Nato” (no action, talk only) government, claiming it had broken promises of reforms made during the run-up to the 15th general election.
He also asked why opposition MPs have not been given equal allocations, adding that the government bloc has already received between RM3.8 million and RM4.5 million.
He said this when commenting on law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said’s remarks that the Madani government was “walking the talk” in the implementation of reforms.
University of Tasmania’s James Chin said Syed Saddiq was “biting the hand that feeds” because Muda’s Muar parliamentary seat win in GE15 was, in part, due to PH’s support.
“If you (Syed Saddiq) keep attacking PH, it means that you are spoiling your own chances at getting re-elected,” he said.
Chin said Syed Saddiq must not forget that Muda and PH were ideologically similar when it came to championing reforms.
He also pointed out that Muda did not contest rural or Malay areas in elections.
“They go for mostly urban seats and PH’s support in the urban areas is very strong,” he said.