COMMENT | Why Muda going solo may be a win-win

COMMENT | Let me start with my conclusion: Muda going solo is inevitable and it may benefit both the Madani government and Muda if it is planned and carried out with sobriety and restraints.

This differs from most commentaries you have read, whether pro-Pakatan Harapan or pro-Muda, which are largely trapped in the Two-Coalition or Third Force paradigm. The problems and challenges are to be fleshed out in the following questions.

Why can’t Harapan accommodate Muda?

There are two established rules in seat negotiation among allies in Malaysian parties: first, incumbent parties keep their seats, except for voluntary exchanges; second, seats held by opponents are open for negotiation because they are often just ‘opportunities’, not guaranteed gains.

This makes negotiation very difficult where coalition government partners win most of the seats, such as Selangor, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, and in two to three years’ time, Sabah, Sarawak, Malacca, and Johor...