Muda has announced that it will contest the Melaka state election on Nov 20.
Speaking at a press conference in Bandar Hilir, Melaka, today, Muda pro tem president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said the party was negotiating with Pakatan Harapan (PH) on the distribution of seats.
“We will negotiate with the opposition bloc and make a joint announcement after this,” he said when asked how many seats Muda’s candidates would contest.
The former youth and sports minister also said it has yet to be decided if Muda – which has not been formally registered – will contest under PH’s logo.
However, even the announcement turned out to be an expensive one for Muda as the party was slapped with a RM4,000 fine for holding the press conference.
In a tweet, party secretary-general Amira Aisya said the 10-minute press conference included only five people.
“We abided by the SOPs. Permission was granted. The rakyat is watching. Stop the double standards!”
She added the authorities had previously informed the party that it was allowed to hold the press conference as long as it adhered to SOPs, including physical distancing.
The Melaka state assembly was dissolved by governor Mohd Ali Rustam on Oct 5 when chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali lost the support of four assemblymen: former chief minister Idris Haron (Sungai Udang), former DAP man Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Pengkalan Batu), Bersatu’s Noor Effandi Ahmad (Telok Mas) and Umno’s Nor Azman Hassan (Pantai Kundor).
Idris and Nor Azman have since been sacked by Umno, while Noor Effandi had his membership terminated by Bersatu.
Syed Saddiq said Muda wanted to play a role in shaping politics in Melaka because it felt that the time was ripe for a “new politics” of honour and integrity.
He also said the party will reject “political frogs” who switch parties for their own benefit.
Syed Saddiq stressed that while Muda might not have “money, position and power”, it made up for it with its idealism and motivation to bring change to the country.
“Change must start in Melaka, and the people of Melaka have the right to a new and good government,” he said.
“This (election) is an avenue for us to come up with a new and revitalised (political) landscape with new faces who are focused on policies, service to the rakyat, and multiracial and moderate politics.”
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