They say the party, founded five years ago, has missed its opportunity.

Syaza Shukri of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) said Muda was at its peak in the year before the 15th general election (GE15), which was held in November 2022.

“They were hot in 2021 but now people don’t seem to remember them.

“They missed the opportunity to attract voters because they lost momentum,” she told FMT.

Syaza said Muda has struggled to project a clear identity or establish its purpose.

“People don’t know exactly what Muda is fighting for. Right now, it feels more like an NGO,” she said.

Syaza also believes Muda suffers from an image problem, largely appearing to be a “one-man party”. There appears to be a lack of trust in Muda’s ability to become an effective third force, she added.

Explaining the difference between how Muda and PKR functioned when their respective leaders were confronted with legal jeopardy, Syaza said that in PKR’s case, other leaders stepped up to lead when current prime minister Anwar Ibrahim was twice incarcerated.

“Muda tried to do the same with acting president Amira (Aisya Abdul Aziz) but that has not been enough,” she added.

Syed Saddiq relinquished his post at the helm of the party after he was convicted by the High Court of abetting criminal breach of trust (CBT), misappropriation of funds and money laundering.

On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal unanimously acquitted the Muar MP of all charges.

Muda needs veterans and an ally

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Muda’s strategy of positioning itself from the onset as a platform for disillusioned voters across the political divide, has failed to materialise.

“When Muda was first established, it was to attract younger voters, not specifically from Pakatan Harapan, but from across the board. That was their strategy,” he said when contacted by FMT.

However, he noted that Muda failed to resonate with younger, disillusioned voters – particularly among the non-Malays.

Azmi said the party may want to reconsider its approach to remain relevant, adding that it needs more than just young leaders.

Muda needs a strong ally, he said\ – either Pakatan Harapan  (PH) or Barisan Nasional (BN).

However, Azmi said both coalitions may be hesitant to collaborate with Muda, fearing the party may not bring sufficient strategic value to the table.

James Chin of the University of Tasmania said Syed Saddiq’s acquittal presents Muda with an opportunity to rebuild its image.

“Muda was able to attract a lot of young people, including many youths from the Chinese community. But what happened was a lot of young people moved away after Syed Saddiq was charged with corruption, including the Malays,” he said.

“Now that he has been discharged by the courts, if he goes back to working with the party, I believe he will be able to recover lost ground.”

However, Chin said the party’s biggest hurdle remains seat negotiations with potential allies.

“Everything will depend on how well they do. The biggest problem they face is to get PH to give them seats to contest. In the last round, they won only one seat (in Muar).”

Chin said that Muda should be given a chance as Syed Saddiq is still capable of attracting young people from across all ethnic groups.