KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — After performing poorly in the 15th general election in 2022 and last year’s state elections, the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) is forging a new path.

In an interview with Malay Mail recently, acting president Amira Aisya Abd Aziz said she is taking steps to build up the party in the hope of getting a foothold in the country’s political landscape.

"Since taking over, I have informed every member, from the top to the grassroots, that our focus for the coming years will be to strengthen the party from within.

"Since its establishment, Muda has gone through election after election, so we need time to bolster the party’s structure. That has been our focus for the past couple of months,” she said.

Officially registered in December 2020, Muda’s express goal was to champion the voice of Malaysian youths and disrupt the traditional approach to politics practised by established parties.

However, Muda has not been the game changer it set out to be.

To date, the party has only managed to secure one parliamentary seat, and that is Muar where co-founder Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman is the incumbent.

It also has one state assembly seat, Puteri Wangsa, also in Johor, which is held by Amira Aisya.

After Syed Saddiq stepped down as party president over his conviction for corruption and rumblings of grassroots dissatisfaction, an internal shakeup was on the cards.

Last month, during the party’s extraordinary general meeting, Muda launched an updated version of its membership system.

Amira Aisya described it as a transition from the mass base approach where anyone can fill up a form on Muda’s website and be a member.

"This is a way for us to manage memberships easily and enhance members’ experience compared to before.

"With this new system, the messaging between grassroots and leadership will be more direct.

"Decisions will be more democratic: certain issues will be put to a vote, and any member from the leadership to the grassroots can have a say,” she said.

Higher membership fees will also be introduced to ensure Muda remains independent and reduce its reliance on donors.

Once their application has been accepted, new members must undergo a training programme called "Sekolah Muda”, after which they will receive voting rights within the party.

Amira Aisya explained that existing members are required to go through the same programme now if they want the right to vote on party matters; otherwise, they will just be ordinary members.

"We always fight to introduce new and fresh faces in politics, and ‘Sekolah Muda’ ensures that party members, regardless of their level, understand our policies and what we want to do for the country,” she said.

As for other party initiatives, Amira Aisya said 100 youths from various backgrounds have participated in its "Teroka” programme where they learn about politics, advocacy and policies from both Muda leadership and corporate figures.

Following the completion of her first "Jelajah Presiden” where she explained the direction of the party to members nationwide, Amira Aisya is planning a follow-up tour that will focus on membership recruitment.

When asked to comment on how Muda compares to other political parties in Malaysia, Amira Aisya said a change of direction would not be complicated as the party is still in its infancy.

"We are still at a stage where we can still determine the form that our party takes and its direction.

"Of course, from the beginning, we had co-founders who decided what Muda should look like, its structure, and how do we want to portray the party internally and externally.

"But over the past four years, we have accepted many new members, and we have a new leadership team at various levels.

"After a meeting with them, I felt that it would be arrogant if only the co-founders can decide our direction.

"As a political party, I think we should be constantly evolving, and change what needs to be changed,” she said.