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KUALA LUMPUR – A lawmaker who holds the record as Malaysia’s youngest cabinet minister, Mr. Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, formally requested on Thursday (September 17) to register a new political movement targeting young members.
The United Democratic Alliance of Malaysia, or Muda, if passed, will add to the country’s confusing mix of parties and alliances.
Syed Saddiq, the 27-year-old MP from Muar in Johor, applied to register Muda with the Registrar of Companies (ROS) headquarters on Thursday, The Star reported online.
He told reporters that despite the proposed name, Muda will not limit the age of its members.
“This party will represent all levels of society, without distinction of race, religion and age. This party welcomes those who share our ideology, idealism, understanding and our struggle,” said The Star.
“Muda will be a party for all races and religions, whose leaders will be a majority of young people.”
Syed Saddiq was 25 when he was appointed Minister of Youth and Sports in 2018, shortly after the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration took power, making him the youngest federal minister since Malaysia’s independence.
He was a legislator for Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and head of its youth wing, called the Armada, when the party was led by then-President Mahathir Mohamad.
Tun Dr. Mahathir, Syed Saddiq and four other Bersatu MPs were fired from the party in May after sitting down with opposition MPs in a parliamentary session that month.
While Dr. Mahathir and the other sacked MPs have formed a new Malaysian-based party, Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Nation Fighters Party), Syed Saddiq has decided to form a new multiracial party targeting youth.
Dr. Mahathir has said that Syed Saddiq’s party will not go far, but has responded that to move the country forward one must look at the issues from a multiracial perspective.
Syed Saddiq told reporters on Thursday that many people have expressed interest in joining the party.
“They are eager to bring new policies into the country, so that we are no longer bogged down with the old policies that have made it difficult for us to move forward,” he said.
When asked if he will be the president of Muda, Syed Saddiq said he would announce the party structure later.
Pejuang and Muda joined other names thrown into the political circle in the past six months.
When PH was overthrown, a new alliance, Perikatan Nasional (National Alliance), consisting of 12 factions, took over the country.
Bersatu, which is now led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, decided to join the alliance of Malaysia’s two largest Malay-Muslim parties, Umno and Parti Islam SeMalaysia. The now tripartite group is called Muafakat Nasional (National Consensus).
Meanwhile, four non-governmental organizations (NGOs) linked to Prime Minister Azmin Ali will soon join Bersatu.
Datuk Seri Azmin himself recently joined Bersatu with 10 other MPs after defecting from the Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
The NGOs that are about to join Bersatu are Penggerak Komuniti Negara, Nation of Women, Pemuda Negara and Wanita Muda Negara.
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