Kuala Lumpur, Sept 17 — Muda’s deputy president Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz said the only way the ruling party could be defeated were if all Opposition parties united in the 15th General Election (GE15).

"In the history of Malaysia, there has never been a single party that managed to become a government on its own.

"Even in Barisan Nasional (BN), although Umno is very huge, it also needs the support of MCA, MIC, and other parties under them,” Amira Aisya told Malay Mail during a recent interview.

However, she was quick to point out that this unity must be built on similar principles and vision for Malaysia even after the election has ended.

Speaking of possible collaboration, she said that Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) key parties such as DAP, PKR, and Amanah are still her party’s strongest allies.

On top of that, she added that "the doors are open” to any party that shares similar principles and ideologies, such as Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).

"We want to collaborate with the larger opposition bloc like PH but it has to be discussed on both sides.

"And PSM is one of our close friends in many ways, although we have not collaborated with them Muda is always open to negotiate with parties that have the same ideals or principles,” she added.

Muda has now officially applied to join PH.

Preparation and approach for GE15

Amira Aisya said Muda’s priority is to become a party that can provide meaningful policies and strong leadership options to voters.

With this in mind, the party has launched initiatives such as "Malaysia Maju” to collect opinions of people from all walks of life to form their GE15 manifesto.

"We want to ensure politics does not become just about power and money, but also about policy and service.

"I think this is very important because moving towards the election, many people are experiencing political fatigue because they are tired of the same fight over and over again between politicians struggling to get power.

"Voters want to know what we are going to do to help them to solve issues such as inflation, affordable housing, dignified minimum wage, and transport system.

"At the same time, we also recognise the importance of strong leadership but we should not only talk about prime minister candidate but also who will be in the Cabinet team, and leading Malaysia moving forward post-election?” she added.

Amira Aisya also told Malay Mail that Muda is currently recruiting more members that are diverse in talents but united in principles so they can have more thorough policy plans.

"We want to ensure we have more members coming into Muda from more diverse backgrounds, regardless of their race, age, culture, or profession.

"We believe that at the end of the day what’s important for Malaysian politics is politics of service and policy, and it’s okay if you don’t have any political background.

"We have lawyers like Lim Wei Jiet, doctors like Dr Tanussha and Dr Mathen Nair, I think all these make Muda very unique not just in the mix of demographics of race, and religion but also in their professional background,” said Amira Aisya regarding Muda’s identity.

She shared that Muda currently has members such as food expert and modern farmer Shahrizal Denci, Dubook Press owner and film producer Mutalib Uthman, Buku Jalanan Chow Kit co-founder Cikgu Rahayu Baharin, and other notable businessmen and activists.

How Muda selects its GE15 candidate

When asked about what Muda is looking for in their candidates, Amira Aisya said that president Syed Saddiq Syed Abd Rahman has finalised their candidate selection process.

"It can’t just be about winning potential. The candidate must also need to be a good elected representative, which means someone who is well versed in national issues and local issues,” said Amira Aisya.

She said the candidate must also carry Muda’s core principles and beliefs in the politics of policies and services.

She added although there are many capable young people in Muda, they still need to go through the selection process because there are still many uncertain factors in play.

"It also depends on what kind of seats Muda will be able to secure in the next election and the candidate must also be someone that can champion the people in their seat,” said Muda’s deputy president.

Muda, formed in 2020, currently has 72,634 members and two elected representatives, namely Syed Saddiq for the Muar federal constituency and Amira Aisya for the Puteri Wangsa state constituency.