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| Campaign for votes goes online Posted: 08 Apr 2013 06:48 PM PDT
Malaysian opposition uses Internet TV to widen reach of its leaders Carolyn Hong, Straits Times IT USED to be that going to a political rally in Malaysia meant packing an umbrella and being ready to stand for hours in a muddy field to listen to speeches. But today, Malaysians can sit in the comfort of their homes and watch rallies streamed "live" over the Internet on their tablets, smartphones and computer screens. This cannot compare to TV of course, as six million Malaysian households have television sets. When the ruling Barisan Nasional launched its election manifesto on Saturday, it was carried live on public television. While it has its share of tweeters and bloggers to get its message across, it was playing to its strengths in its choice of platform. Similarly, when the opposition Pakatan Rakyat launched its manifesto on Feb 25, it used the Internet, leveraging on its greater experience and skills. The campaign moving online is a boon for some voters. "It's convenient and good that we can watch for ourselves instead of reading it in the newspapers or news websites and blogs," said retiree Zarina Bakar, 53, who lives in Kuala Lumpur. Last week, she watched opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim speak at a rally in Gerik, Perak, about three hours away from her home. While it was not as exciting as being there, it was still useful, she said. "We can see what he said, as he said it," she added. Over 7,000 people watched the rally that was streamed live that night, compared to about 1,000 people present at the rally itself. Viewership is expected to grow after the Election Commission announces nomination and polling dates tomorrow. This is the first election where opposition parties are streaming video, now that technology has made it cheaper and easier to do. They also hope to reach Malaysians abroad. The Democratic Action Party (DAP) is running the 24-hour Ubah.TV, which also plays reruns of its rallies and some news items. The Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) uses a popular website to provide live streams of its rallies. Mr Tony Pua, the DAP's national publicity secretary said Ubah.TV had 38,000 viewers last Friday, with about 8,000 to 10,000 in the evening peak hours. By comparison, the PKR ceramahs, or rallies, get about 7,000 to 8,000 people when Mr Anwar speaks. Media analyst Oon Yeoh, who writes on digital media issues, said using Internet TV will help the opposition reach more voters, albeit mostly urbanites. Of course, catching a rally on a computer pales in comparison to standing with thousands of people and listening to fiery oratory, he said. But the reality is that the few top speakers can only do a few rallies a night. Running an Internet TV station, however, does cost money, though the political parties would not reveal how much. The PKR has a team of three to four people covering Mr Anwar's ceramahs and several of their bigger stars. For the DAP, Mr Pua said they have teams in all but two states to stream major events. "The viewership is picking up and we expect it to grow after the campaign officially begins," he said. |
| GE13: Flipping Anwar risks flopping Posted: 08 Apr 2013 04:58 PM PDT
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim draws big crowds elsewhere but not on his home turf. He now flip-flops between leaving Penang and staying put to fight it out in his Permatang Pauh constituency. Baradan Kuppusamy, The Star DATUK Seri Anwar Ibrahim appears unsure where to contest in the general election – first throwing out clear signals he will move out of home ground Permatang Pauh in Penang for a seat in Perak and then saying he will stay put. His argument for moving out was originally sound; he wanted to turn Perak into a battleground with his presence there. He wanted to contest in Tanjung Malim or Tambun but within a week switched back to announce at a ceramah on Saturday that he will fight it out in Permatang Pauh after all. For a leader of a coalition that aims to capture Putrajaya and rule the country, to flip-flop, even as part of a winning strategy, is just not good politics. He opens himself to attacks by his political enemies, who have accused him of either running away for fear of doing badly – or even losing – or returning to Penang because Perak is more dangerous. It is rather late in the day for Anwar to want to contest in Perak with Parliament dissolved and the Election Commission meeting tomorrow to set dates for nomination and polling. Probably, he wanted some sympathy from voters in Permatang Pauh with his "leaving for Perak" tactic. Anwar's last outing in Permatang Pauh was in a by-election in August 2008 and voters gave him overwhelming support. In that by-election, due to his wife Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail vacating the seat, Anwar won with a 16,000 vote majority against Umno's Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah. The Permatang Pauh seat had been tied to Anwar and his family ever since he first captured it, a year after joining Umno in 1981, from PAS veteran Zabidi Ali. When he was in jail, his wife nearly lost it in the 2004 general election, winning with a slim majority of fewer than 600 votes. The ground in Permatang Pauh, as in other areas with a large Malay electorate, has changed considerably over the years and the changes could have prompted Anwar to initially plan to move out. A victory in Permatang Pauh, no matter how slim, will be a psychological boost for Umno, which has been locked in electoral battles with Anwar since the party sacked him in 1998. But for Anwar, a lesser majority in Permatang Pauh will be a political disaster. Last year, he had reportedly said this election would be his last and, if he wins, he will be prime minister. If he loses, he will retire to academia. For Anwar, this is a watershed general election. He is pushing 66 and has given the best part of his life to activism and politics; rising from a student rebel to political prisoner, joining Umno, leaving it and again jailed to become the country's most famous prisoner for nine years. From behind bars he set up the multi-racial Parti Keadilan Nasional, which later merged with Parti Rakyat Malaysia and assumed its current name Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). The merged entity allied with the DAP and PAS and, together, became known as Pakatan Rakyat – a loose coalition that now dreams of capturing Putrajaya. By most accounts, the coalition is unlikely to muster the numbers needed to unseat the Barisan Nasional. One reason is that the Malay ground has clearly shifted in favour of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. That shift has affected constituencies like Permatang Pauh and this is one reason Anwar was forced to consider moving out to a safer seat with a better voter mix. Given a good "winnable candidate" in Permatang Pauh against Anwar – and Umno thinks it has one such candidate – the chances of reducing Anwar's winning majority is considerable. Speculation is rife that the candidate is Dr Mazlan Ismail, a local boy and a former PAS Youth leader who gives Friday sermons and holds a high position in a government-linked company. Besides, Anwar is no longer a crowd puller in Permatang Pauh. He may draw big gatherings elsewhere but on his home turf he has become somewhat jaded and the crowds have been dwindling. Although Anwar still has the upper hand, the victory margin will be closely watched by his supporters. His supporters are sure he can retain the seat with a "good and comfortable" majority but unsure whether he will sit in Putrajaya.
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| Posted: 08 Apr 2013 03:07 PM PDT
The problems between the Indian and Malay factions have put the state chapter at risk of a fallout ahead of the polls. Hawkeye, FMT Penang DAP is suffering a headache over its candidates list with a protracted squabble in its Indian faction as well as demands from the Malay bloc to contest state seats in the upcoming general election. There is also a need to manage the disgruntlement from the former DAP Chinese state assemblymen, who have to make way for new candidates either because of a much needed political realignment in Penang, or for their lack of performance. Penang DAP, barring any last minute changes, is juggling with a cache of only 29 state and four parliamentary seats to fill, and with their PKR and PAS counterparts reeling from a perceived drop in support here, it is no "walk in the park" for them although Pakatan Rakyat is slated to retain the state. The rest of the 40 state and 11 parliament seats are shared by PKR and PAS. The momentum of Penang to become the nation's focus in this election is expected to only be seen once the candidates list is drawn up, but this time around, the threat of infighting will likely come from Pakatan. It is the grave consequence of being in government, observers here declared. A risk of a fallout At risk is a fallout if the DAP state leadership headed by former journalist Chow Kon Yeow cannot find middle ground to appease the various quarters. Everybody knew what happened to Barisan Nasional after an internal sabotage during the 2008 election and this is something, which DAP is going all out to avoid, especially with the goal of capturing Putrajaya in sight. In one corner, are the Penang DAP Indians, who are split into three movements, all with an agenda of lobbying for their own candidates. The three DAP Indian factions have launched a concerted effort to impress upon the party leadership about a need to relook the Indian leaders who are keen to be renominated to contest in this election. The groups hailed from branch heads, elements of the Penang DAP Indian cultural bureau and supporters of the DAP Indian assemblymen here. They have engaged bloggers, media personalities from both the mainstream and alternative sides to illustrate their cause via tweets, statements and a memorandum. It is learnt that the memorandum was emailed to Chow and copied to DAP chairman Karpal Singh, secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and party adviser Lim Kit Siang. Party insiders, who preferred not to be named owing to the sensitivity of the issue, said that while the top leadership smiled at the enlarged crowds in the battleground state of Johor, the same four supremo leaders of DAP are worried deep inside that they are unable to bridge the rift here with nomination of candidates just days away. It is also learnt that there is an indirect party gag order issued on this matter. The four DAP Indian leaders are caretaker Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr P Ramasamy, lawyers A Thanasekaran, RSN Rayer and Jagdeep Singh- Karpal's son. Of the four, only Jagdeep is assured of a seat in view of his growing political clout as an assemblyman and that he is Karpal's son. The three others are involved with a lingering squabble with all fingers pointed at Ramasamy,a former political science academician for his inability to mend the rift with the other leaders here. In the statement and memorandum made available to the media here, the grassroots called for local Indian leaders to be given a chance, a subtle hint at Ramasamy, who since his accession to power in 2008, had to grapple with accusations that he is not a local boy, thus he is unable to understand sentiments and issues. The Perak-born academician had tried his best, but he has often hit a brickwall concerning working together with the DAP Indian grassroots here. The fact that he was one of the new leaders to emerge from the 2008 election after convincing victories in the Prai state and Batu Kawan parliamentary seats, Ramasamy will likely be retained as a candidate as he still has a degree of winning-abilities. The question is where, said party insiders. State DAP veteran K Gunabalan, while hoping that no action will be taken against him for voicing out the grievances of the grassroots, said the party should field candidates who can work together effectively to ensure the state benefits. "It is pointless to field polarising figures, who even if they win on default since many people in Penang support DAP (not individuals), they are unable to lead or govern because the majority of the members do not support them in the first place." Since 2008, issues of Penang Indians were handled by different groups, and they were not working in tandem, thus the relationship within the community, was fractured at best, Gunabalan claimed.
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