KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 ― Politicians continue to grapple with social media use with Election 2013 only weeks away, hoping to tap the audience the unfiltered medium provides while avoiding the many attendant pitfalls.
Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi demonstrated the dangers of such a misstep on social media earlier this week, after he sent out an offending post on Twitter, according to Singapore’s The Sunday Times.
“We shall move to the war zone to kill all adverse political intruders.” Zahid posted on the popular microblogging service following the dissolution of Parliament on Wednesday.
The politician’s choice of words did not go down well with all parties.
“What standard of a minister is this?” Nathaniel Tan, a political writer, tweeted in response.
Electoral watchdog Bersih has also listed Zahid in its new “name and shame” campaign, accusing him of condoning the political violence that is increasingly reported.
But despite the perils that come from politicians granting direct access to their thoughts, social media and the Internet are mediums that few hoping to do well in the coming general election can afford to ignore.
Caretaker prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has dubbed Election 2013 the “social media election”, and is leading by example in embracing a variety of platforms from Twitter to Facebook and, most recently, Instagram.
Najib also maintains a personal blog at 1Malaysia.com.my.
There are currently about 13.6 million Facebook users in Malaysia out of a 28.3 million-strong population, which is a 48 per cent penetration of the population, according to monitoring website socialbakers.com.
Over two million Malaysians now use Twitter, up from 3,000 in 2008.
Najib’s enthusiasm for the power of the Internet is understandable; it was variously credited for the gains made by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) during Election 2008 when the opposition pact seized five states and denied Barisan Nasional its customary Parliamentary supermajority.
In between official missives, Najib’s various Internet facades offer glimpses into the Umno president’s personal life. And although he has a team of handlers to manage the numerous accounts, Najib insists he personally posts much of the content.
But it appears that Najib’s colleagues could also benefit from the aid of a supporting team.
“Some of the younger and more savvy BN politicians use social media fairly well,” Edwin Yapp, senior editor of Digital News Asia, told The Sunday Times. “But by and large, many of them are still not savvy, some downright inept at social media.”
But even for as experienced a practitioner as Najib, the Internet can prove to be a wildcard over which none has control.
A recent Chinese New Year open house hosted by BN saw the viral spread of a video clip that seemingly showed attendees repeatedly shouting “No!” in response to Najib asking if Penang residents were “ready for BN.”
Beyond countering the advantage that PR holds in cyberspace, BN politicians are also keen to reach the 2.3 million first-time voters who are eligible to cast their ballots in Election 2013.
According to Professor Shaharuddin Badaruddin, a political scientist at Universiti Teknologi Mara, 90 per cent of young voters use the Internet as their main source of political news, with just 15 per cent sourcing this information from television.
BN has openly courted this group and sought to enable their online presence, giving out netbooks in rural areas and rebates for smartphone purchases in the current Budget.
On the other side, PR parties continue to display their familiarity and preference for the Internet as the medium of choice to reach supporters.
PKR has opted to snub the government’s offer of 10 minutes’ airtime on state broadcaster RTM, choosing instead to concentrate outreach efforts on Facebook. DAP and PAS also rejected the offer.
“[PKR] is taking the step to take policy discussion direct to voters, through the production of these eight brief videos about the People’s Manifesto,” Rafizi Ramli, the party’s strategy director, previously said.
“Facebook is our biggest weapon. It’s still the main battleground,” Medaline Chang, communications officer for DAP, told The Sunday Times. “It’s the best place to put up statistics and notes and why we question a particular government policy.”
Aside from Facebook, DAP has launched online television site Ubah.TV as part of its main online thrust ahead of Election 2013.
Najib announced the dissolution of Parliament on Wednesday, paving the way for a general election. The Election Commission is scheduled to meet on April 10 to set the dates for nomination and polling.
Source from The Malaysian Insider : http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/for-politicians-social-media-both-boon-and-bane/
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