Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- The new media's profound influence in GE13
- Rise of young voters shifts M’sia election balance
- Election a balancing act for Najib
- Pakatan leading in Negeri Sembilan
- Country braces for its closest election ever
- Anwar faces last, best shot in GE13
| The new media's profound influence in GE13 Posted: 29 Apr 2013 05:15 PM PDT
(Bernama) - Two of the main contenders in the 13th General Election (GE13) namely the Barisan Nasional (BN) and the pakatan pembangkang (PR) have been fully exploiting the new media's potential in wooing the voters. The new trend indicates that almost all parties and candidates have been building up their public persona through websites, blogs, and social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. Even BN stalwarts like Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Hishammudin Tun Hussein and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin have embraced the new media to reach out to the masses. On the opposition side, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, PAS's spiritual head Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and his deputy Datuk Dr Haron Din, and DAP's Publicity Secretary Tony Pua have become the centerpiece. Most of the parties and candidates also have accounts at various social sites to relay information more efficiently while encouraging two way communication with the community. Meanwhile, the Asian Correspondent website () said in an article the Internet Penetration rate in Malaysia has increased by 300 per cent since GE12 in 2008. At the time of writing this article, the total number of active Facebook users in Malaysia accounted for 13,354,900, the 20th highest in the world while Twitter users numbered 1,128,000. If these statistics are anything to go by, the Internet certainly provides the advantage for parties and the candidates to win over the voter. A brief survey conducted by Bernama found that Najib who is also the BN's chairman led the most liked profile at Facebook and Twitter. Internet monitoring site Socialbakers (www.socialbakers.com ) recorded, Najib's Twitter handle (@NajibRazak) having the most number of followers in Malaysia, 1,510,127 to be precise with Najib adding about 100,312 followers over the last one month. Najib's Twitter followers are the 11th highest in the world under the politicians category. Only two Southeast Asian politicians made it to the top 20 , Najib and Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono who ranked 8th with 1,709,746 followers. After Najib, in the same category, it is Hishammudin (@HishammuddinH2O, with 477,893 followers), Anwar(@anwaribrahim, 278,535 followers), Khairy (@Khairykj, 264,734 followers) and Tony Pua (@tonypua, 59,090 followers). And speaking off Facebook's Fan page, 'Najib Razak' is the second most liked one with 1,633,812 'Likes', after Tun Dr Mahathir with 2,085,034 'Likes'. Nik Abdul Aziz is in the third place with 917,785 'Likes', while Dr Haron (4th) and Anwar (5th) with both recording 672,546 and 582,839 'Likes' respectively. "The personal touch is crucial in the world of communication. The campaign through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are the new approaches that provide the personal touch when people communicate directly with the prime minister," said Zainal. "The Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for example, provide private space for any individual in communicating directly with their audience and therefore are highly effective compared with the conventional campaign approach," explained Zainal. He added, the use of social media provided a profound impact on young voters as they were the biggest users of the medium. "It is highly effective and successful. Just imagine even a chance to shake hands, to photograph, to sit beside or have coffee with the PM is a big thing, and what more when the PM himself answers your questions at the social website. "These are the factors that could attract youngsters to BN and subsequently win their votes," explained Zainal. Having learnt its lessons, this time around the BN machinery has embraced wholeheartedly the new media in its campaign. Recently, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's (UKM), Deputy Dean of the Social Science and Humanities Faculty Associate Professor Dr Mohd Fuad Mat Jali said his studies from 2010 to last March indicated that there is a good chance for BN to regain its two thirds majority in Dewan Rakyat as long as there is no sabotage. He pointed out this time around there is the change of heart among the youngsters due to the government's transformation programmes that vastly have benefited the youths and low income earners. |
| Rise of young voters shifts M’sia election balance Posted: 29 Apr 2013 02:48 PM PDT
Young Malaysians are a crucial, possibly decisive, source of support in an election that promises to be the closest since independence. Free Malaysia Today Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak escaped a direct showdown with a youth when a 23-year-old student gave up his bid to challenge him in his home constituency in the May 5 general election. But Mohammed Bukhairy Mohammed Sofian's quixotic plan to run against Najib – which he dropped to avoid diverting votes from the main opposition candidate – was a reminder of how young voters are shaping politics in the Southeast Asian nation as never before and unnerving the long-ruling coalition. He is one of 2.6 million Malaysians registered to cast their ballots for the first time, making up roughly a fifth of Malaysia's 13.3 million eligible voters. That is much higher than the 638,000 new voters five years ago. Analysts say an upsurge in interest in politics following the opposition's best-ever election showing in 2008 has driven more young people to register. Their numbers make young Malaysians a crucial, possibly decisive, source of support in an election that promises to be the closest since independence. They are also a force that could blur the traditional race-based faultlines that have shaped the political landscape in the multi-ethnic country. An unbroken 56-year grip on power has given the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition control over mainstream media and the ability to spend freely in the election campaign as they preside over a period of strong economic growth. Although a coalition win with a reduced parliamentary majority is seen as the most likely outcome, the opposition says that the new voters are the "X Factor" that could create Malaysia's biggest electoral shock since independence in 1957. "I know what young people want. They want a voice and that means change," Bukhairy, a third-year Islamic political science student at Universiti Malaya, told Reuters. An opposition win would bring unprecedented uncertainty to politics in Malaysia, whose government is the longest serving in the democratic world, and herald a major shake-up in five decades of cozy relations between government and business. Force for change Najib's government, which saw its parliamentary majority slashed in 2008, is struggling to respond to growing demands for more accountability and democratic reforms. Those demands are being pushed most forcefully by the young, many of whom get their news from lively independent websites rather than state-controlled media. Many feel impatient with the gradual pace of reform under Najib, a 59-year-old veteran of the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), which dominates the ruling coalition, and the son of a former prime minister. An opinion poll by the respected pollster Merdeka Centre, released in February, showed that voters aged 21-30 are the age-group most dissatisfied with the performance of the prime minister, who enjoys an overall approval rating of 61%. "With younger voters, I think the pattern of voting on racial lines is going to be more subdued. Certainly not as accentuated as with the older generation," said Ibrahim Suffian, programme director at the Merdeka Centre. Another survey, released in January by Universiti Malaya, showed 52% of new voters backing Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim for prime minister, with Najib at 30%. "Things that are important to them are things like transparency, good governance and corruption. All these issues tend to look very bad for the government," said James Chin, head of the arts and social sciences school at Monash University Malaysia. Protests for electoral reform and against a controversial rare earths plant, which in April drew tens of thousands onto the streets of Kuala Lumpur, have had a strong youth contingent. "The activism is not necessarily political, it's simply a people-led movement after so many years of Barisan Nasional rule. It is wanting change," said Khairani Razak, a 22 year-old education major at Universiti Malaya. Najib has made a concerted effort to pursue young votes. He's cultivated a cooler image, gathering nearly 1.5 million followers on Twitter. The ruling coalition, meanwhile, organized a series of free music concerts featuring international acts including K-pop sensation Psy in February. More substantively, Najib approved landmark reforms of tough security and media laws in an effort to reach out to young and middle-class voters. But despite his efforts, Najib's government has struggled to shake off Umno's reputation for cronyism and critics say the reforms are more form than substance.
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| Election a balancing act for Najib Posted: 29 Apr 2013 02:44 PM PDT
(AFP) - Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has walked a tightrope between voters demanding change and hardliners resisting reform in Malaysia's decades-old regime, a balancing act that will be tested in elections on Sunday. The UK-educated economist with a patrician air took office after the ruling party dumped his predecessor over a 2008 parliamentary election performance that was the government's worst in its now-56 years in power. He now confronts a multi-ethnic opposition that smells blood and has gained ground with promises to end rampant corruption and reform controversial policies that favour majority ethnic Malays. The mild-mannered Najib, 59, has the advantages of incumbency, solid personal-approval ratings, control of traditional media, and his own pedigree as he seeks his first mandate from voters. He is the son of a Malaysian founding father, hails from a revered ethnic Malay nobility, and has served three decades in Umno. With pressure rising for greater political space, the Umno leader has sought to cast himself as an agent of change through limited reforms including replacing some security laws widely criticised as tools to stifle dissent. But these moves are dismissed by the opposition as electoral window-dressing and viewed with distaste by Umno conservatives. Caught in the middle, Najib has avoided deep reform and opinion polls suggest he has failed to alter his regime's image as an arrogant, corrupt, status-quo force. "On reforms, he is the emperor without any clothes," said Bridget Welsh, a Malaysian politics expert at Singapore Management University. Sunday's vote pits the Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition, one of the world's longest-serving governments, against a three-party alliance led by former Umno star Anwar Ibrahim. A thin Barisan victory is predicted, but even that could imperil Najib – Umno is used to thumping majorities and is keen to recover ground lost in 2008. If that fails, analysts and Umno insiders say Najib could face a party leadership fight just like that which brought him to office in 2009. Najib has seemed destined for Malaysia's political summit. His father was Razak Hussein, Malaysia's second prime minister and a key figure in securing independence from Britain in 1957. Najib studied economics in England and in 1976 at age 23 won the parliamentary seat made vacant by his father's death. He later took high positions at Malaysia's central bank, the state oil firm and in the Cabinet, including the defence portfolio. He is also currently the finance minister. Najib has moved to water down policies that give Malays advantages in business and education but which irk minorities, and claims to have shielded the economy from the global woes with huge public spending and cash handouts to citizens. "While some may have voiced concerns, ultimately the party has delivered a bold and wide-ranging set of reforms, which have expanded civil liberties and made this government the most open and transparent in its history," Najib said in e-mailed comments to AFP. But the prime minister's own reputation has been threatened. He has been linked to allegations of huge kickbacks in a 2002 purchase of French submarines while defence minister, a case later connected to the gruesome 2006 murder of a beautiful Mongolian woman involved in the deal. Najib denies wrongdoing, but the episode – one of a litany of Umno's graft scandals – has never been fully explained, and an ongoing probe by French justices threatens to revive it. Najib's wife Rosmah Mansor is also widely seen as a liability, ridiculed for an imperious demeanour, a reputation for meddling in Najib's work, and allegations of high-ticket overseas shopping forays, which she denies.
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| Pakatan leading in Negeri Sembilan Posted: 29 Apr 2013 02:27 PM PDT
The opposition pact is ahead in 19 of the 36 contests for state seats. Zefry Dahalan, FMT Pakatan Rakyat is leading in the race to capture the Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly. A random FMT survey of voters' preferences indicate that DAP, PAS or PKR are ahead of their Barisan Nasional rivals in 19 of the 36 contests for state seats. The 19 are Bahau, Klawang, Chennah, Repah, Johol, Paroi, Port Dickson, Lukut, Chuah, Mambau, Senawang, Rahang, Bukit Kepayang, Lobak, Temiang, Nilai, Ampangan, Sikamat and Lenggeng. DAP is leading in all 11 contests it is engaged in. PKR, however, is not doing so well. It looks like it will not do better than retaining the four seats it won in 2008, which are Port Dickson, Chuah, Ampangan and Sikamat. PAS is likely to improve upon its performance in 2008, when it won only the Paroi seat. It is expected to keep Paroi and add Klawang, Johol and Lenggeng to its tally. The situation is shakiest for Pakatan in Johol, Lukut, Ampangan and Rahang. It is only slightly ahead of BN in these four constituencies. BN should not have much trouble retaining Palong, Jeram Padang, Serting, Sungai Lui, Pertang, Sri Menanti, Pilah, Senaling, Juasseh, Gemas, Gemencheh, Kota, Chembong, Rantau, Linggi, Bagan Pinang and Labu. However, Pakatan has the potential to overtake BN in Palong, Pilah and Linggi. All three seats used to be Umno strongholds, but some of the party's branches in these three places are unhappy with BN's choice of candidates for them. Former Jempol MP Lilah Yasin is the BN candidate in Palong. Umno members are unhappy with the choice because he is not a local boy. Recycled candidate In Pilah, local Umno leaders consider Norhayati Omar as a recycled candidate. She won the seat in both the 1999 and 2004 elections, but was replaced as a candidate in 2008 and by the much younger Adnan Abu Hasan. Observers are surprised that BN has chosen to drop Adnan this time around. His service to the constituents is said to be satisfactory.
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| Country braces for its closest election ever Posted: 29 Apr 2013 02:11 PM PDT
(AFP) - When Malaysian voters cast ballots in Sunday's general election it will be the first time in the country's history that they do so without knowing the eventual winner. The ruling coalition headed by the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) is among the world's longest-serving governments, unbeaten since independence in 1957 thanks to decades of economic growth and authoritarian rule. But the rising Pakatan Rakyat (People's Pact) opposition alliance has tapped into Umno fatigue with promises to end authoritarianism and corruption, and many observers say the vote is hard to predict. "It's going to be really close. I think [the ruling coalition] will win but with a reduced majority. But there is a real chance Pakatan might do it," said Wan Saiful Wan Jan, head of the Malaysian think- tank IDEAS. Controlled by the Malays who make up 55% of Malaysia's population, Umno's Barisan Nasional (National Front) ruling coalition has vastly greater resources and a chokehold on traditional media. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak can tout steady economic growth of 5.6% in 2012 and a torrent of populist handouts as he seeks his first mandate – he was installed by Umno when it pushed out his predecessor over a 2008 polls setback. But the multi-racial opposition led by charismatic former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim is no longer a pushover after seizing a third of Parliament in 2008, tripling its seats and shocking the country with its best showing ever. With Anwar vowing a "Malaysian Spring", the three-party opposition can claim the momentum and point to success governing four states won in 2008. It pledges a national shake-up including reform of policies favouring Malays in business and education that irk the sizeable Chinese and Indian minorities and are criticised as a drag on national competitiveness. Anwar also promises to free state-controlled traditional media and break cosy ties between politics and business. Sensing the mood, Najib has made cautious reforms including replacing some repressive laws. But despite solid personal approval ratings, surveys show his government's image has not improved. "The reality is that Umno has not reformed in the key areas needed – corruption, arrogance of power, racial inclusion and a fundamental vision for where to take the country," said Bridget Welsh, a Malaysia politics expert at Singapore Management University. The Barisan coalition has 135 of Parliament's 222 seats to Pakatan's 75, and a reduced Barisan majority is widely forecast. But dozens of seats are considered too close to call. The stakes are high for both sides. A Barisan loss threatens a Malay elite accustomed to political dominance and its rich business perks. Najib, meanwhile, is under pressure to improve on 2008′s showing and could face a career-ending Umno leadership challenge if he fails, party insiders say. If the opposition falls short it must confront life after Anwar, who says he would step aside as its figurehead in that event. Anwar was once Umno's heir-apparent but was ousted in 1998 and jailed for six years on sex charges after a power struggle with his boss, then-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The episode altered Malaysian politics by giving the previously ineffectual opposition a formidable campaigner with top government experience. But Pakatan has no one else approaching his stature and pan-racial star power. The occasionally fractious Pakatan includes Anwar's multi-racial party, a secular party dominated by ethnic Chinese, and a conservative Islamic party representing Muslim Malays. "This election will decide Malaysia's future," Najib said in e-mailed comments to AFP, determining who will "set the direction for Malaysia through the 2020s and beyond". One wild card is a new generation of voters – 2.5 million of the 13.3 million registered to vote are under age 30 – raised on pro-opposition views that have exploded on Malaysia's uncensored Internet in recent years. An electoral reform group that has staged huge rallies in the past two years warns it will be Malaysia's "dirtiest" election, alleging widespread fraud by Barisan in voter rolls, which the government denies. Tempers have flared during campaigning, with police reporting hundreds of cases of election violence. Economists warn, meanwhile, of long-term fiscal damage from the promises each side has made under their similarly populist platforms.
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| Anwar faces last, best shot in GE13 Posted: 29 Apr 2013 02:04 PM PDT
(AFP) - Cast into the political wilderness 15 years ago by Malaysia's regime, Anwar Ibrahim faces his best and possibly last shot at vengeance in climactic elections on Sunday. The former heir-apparent to Umno is today its most feared enemy, having galvanised a diverse opposition that now dreams of unseating one of the world's longest-serving governments. "I can be crazy in some ways, partly because I have gone through a lot," Anwar, 65, told AFP in an interview. "But I just want to prove that you can run the country with good governance, eliminate corruption… and make Malaysia a mature democracy." Umno has towered over the moderate Muslim country through a coalition government since independence from Britain in 1957, but faces rising pressure over corruption and authoritarian tactics. Much of the credit for the changing landscape goes to the mercurial Anwar, whose charisma, oratorical skills and appeal across multi-ethnic Malaysia's racial lines breathed life into a once-hapless opposition. His three-party Pakatan Rakyat faces a formidable, dug-in foe, yet many analysts say the result is too close to call. An opposition victory would cap a remarkable journey for Anwar, whose chameleon career has transformed Malaysian politics. He was an Islamic student leader whose natural political skills caught the eye of authoritarian former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who dominated Malaysia for 22 years and fast-tracked Anwar to the top. Morphing into a reformist who was lionised in the West, Anwar looked set to succeed Mahathir. But a 1998 power struggle between them, in which Anwar criticised cronyism and graft, saw him unceremoniously sacked and later jailed on sodomy and corruption charges widely seen as politically motivated. His appearance in court with a black eye triggered global opprobrium and unprecedented anti-government protests in Malaysia, deeply polarising its politics. "The groundswell in Malaysian society today is a direct result. Many people became disillusioned," said Ooi Kee Beng of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. Anwar says he was kept in solitary confinement, singing 1960s pop tunes to stay sane and reading the Qur'an, the Bible, Shakespeare – anything he could get. Released in 2004 when the sodomy charge was overturned, he later led the opposition to its best showing ever in 2008 polls, taking more than a third of Parliament. His personal travails continued, however – he was acquitted last year of new sodomy charges after a lengthy legal battle he condemned as another Umno bid to wreck his comeback. Now in the clear, Anwar predicts victory and sweeping change for Malaysia. He has pledged to root out rampant graft, free government-controlled traditional media and reform policies that give advantages to Malays but are criticised as a drag on the economy and a source of racial resentment. A former finance minister, he advocates populist social and economic policies savaged by Umno as fiscally irresponsible. He insists, however, that attacking corruption and curbing illicit money outflows from Malaysia – which total billions of dollars a year, according to watchdog groups – will fund its agenda. "Just by being transparent, we can achieve our goals," he said. But Anwar also vows to step aside as leader if the opposition fails to take power. Anwar's departure would leave the alliance with no central unifying figure, but he says "there is no indispensable person". "People have to accept that I have given all that I have. I have given a lot of my personal life and suffered immensely."
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