THE Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) unveiled its bold manifesto last week, advocating for significant changes in states’ governance — focusing on Selangor. 

The party’s manifesto addresses various issues, but one of its primary goals is to reduce the executive powers wielded by the mentri besar (MB) and the state executive councillors (excos). This move is seen as a critique of the current governance system, even by parties that claim to promote progressive politics. 

Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman emphasised that enhancing public participation in policymaking and decentralising power are at the core of the party’s manifesto for the upcoming Aug 12 state polls. Muda intends to strengthen the state legislature’s check-and-balance power to achieve these goals. 

The central focus of the proposal is to transition from a system where major policy decisions are made solely by the MB and state excos to one where such decisions are put to a vote in the state legislature assembly. 

This approach seeks to eliminate the concentration of power within a small group of political elites, enabling broader representation and democratic decision-making. 

“Muda would like to propose that all major decisions, regardless of whether it’s about PJD Link (Petaling Jaya Dispersal Link) or the degazettement of forest reserves, be returned to the (Selangor) state legislature assembly to be debated, concluded and voted for, and not just decided by a small group of political elites,” Syed Saddiq said during the manifesto’s launch. 

Despite facing resource constraints compared to mainstream political blocs, Muda is fielding eight candidates in the polls to contest in Selangor, Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Negri Sembilan. 

The multiracial and youth-centric political party’s decision to stand against both Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) was driven by PH’s indecision in accepting Muda’s application to formally join the coalition. 

Originally seen as an ideological ally of the PKR-DAP-Parti Amanah Negara alliance, Muda felt marginalised after PH formed the federal government with the corruption-tainted Barisan Nasional (BN). The party grew increasingly critical of some of PH’s policies, accusing the coalition of reneging on reform pledges, leading to the souring of ties. 

The “New Politics Manifesto” unveiled by Muda seeks to revive the democratic reforms that were once central to PH’s campaign, but with greater conviction and consistency. The party aims to reinstate local council elections and introduce a state-level political funding law to counter lobbying efforts. 

Despite acknowledging that reinstating the third vote for local council elections falls under federal jurisdiction, Syed Saddiq stated that Muda would initiate a pilot project at the state level to explore possibilities for implementation. 

Additionally, Muda pledges to address overt development and environmental degradation, both of which have caused discontent across all states, including Selangor. Environmental protection and sustainable development are core principles for the party, which aims to strike a balance between development and preserving the environment. 

Other key proposals in Muda’s manifesto include ending political appointments at all state enterprises and agencies, including local governments, and implementing compulsory public declaration of assets by all elected representatives to combat corruption at the grassroots level. 

With its “New Politics Manifesto”, Muda aims to usher in an era of transparent and participatory governance, continuing the fight for democratic reforms that were once the core of PH’s campaign but lost momentum after forming the federal government. 

Muda has declared its partnership with Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) for the state elections. Moreover, they have unveiled eight candidates to contest in Selangor, where the party base is located. 

Earlier, Muda announced its secretary general Amir Abd Hadi to contest in Seri Serdang seat, Syaidiyah Izzati Nur Razak Maideen (Batu Tiga), R Thanusha (Sentosa) and Melanie Ting (Bukit Antarabangsa). Also contesting are Al Hafiz Ikhwan for Dusun Tua, Dr Siva Prakash (Kuala Kubu Baru), Dobby Chew (Seri Setia) and Afriena Shaqira Sariff (Sungai Kandis). 

Meanwhile, PSM has also announced that its deputy president S Arutchelvan will be contesting the Kajang state seat, as well as central committee member Sivaranjani Manickam who will contest in Meru. 

All these seats were won by PH in 2018. 

Muda has also unveiled six more candidates including information chief Luqman Long, who will be contesting the Bandar state seat in Terengganu, and its first Penang candidate, Priyanka Loh, will be fielded in Pantai Jerejak.

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This article first appeared in The Malaysian Reserve weekly print edition