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- `Battlegrounds will be in Dayak areas'
- GE13: The battle starts in the cyber world
- GE13: Taking on the opposition in their home ground
- ‘The case for change is preponderant’
| `Battlegrounds will be in Dayak areas' Posted: 30 Mar 2013 05:22 PM PDT
"Thus, the Dayak seats will be the focus of fight between BN and PR," he said, adding that the BN component parties, PRS, PBB, Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) must unite to repel the Opposition parties in whatever guise they appear. Sulok Tawie, The Sun Daily The battlegrounds in Sarawak in the upcoming 13th general election are the Dayak-majority seats, both Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leaders agreed today. The Dayaks are forming the majority voters in 13 out of 31 parliamentary constituencies. PRS president and Minister of Land Development Tan Sri Dr James Masing agreed that the battlegrounds in Sarawak will be the Dayak majority areas. "There are 13 Dayak majority seats which are up for grabs," he said, adding that the Dayak areas are perceived to be "grey areas" for both the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR). "This means that both BN and PR can win the Dayak seats," he said, adding that there is no clear indication where the Dayak votes will go to in the GE13. "Thus, the Dayak seats will be the focus of fight between BN and PR," he said, adding that the BN component parties, PRS, PBB, Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) must unite to repel the Opposition parties in whatever guise they appear. Masing, however, expressed his confidence that PRS will retain all its six Dayak-majority seats – Sri Aman, Lubok Antu, Kanowit, Ulu Rajang, Selangau and Julau – in the GE13. See Chee How, Sarawak PKR vice chairman, admitted that PBB is still the dominance force in the Mala/Melanau areas due to Taib's strong grip on them. "The battlegrounds are the Dayak seats," the Batu Lintang state assemblyman concurred with Masing. He said PR is gaining grounds in these seats because of the BN's policies on land. "The blatant grabs on the native customary rights (NCR) land by the BN government have remained unabated, despite the numerous court cases in favour of the NCR landowners, " See, who represented the landowners in many of these cases, added. He said the London-based Radio Free Sarawak (RFS) has been effective in disseminating information on the "unfair" land polices of the government. PR, especially PKR, has distributed thousands of China-made radio sets to the longhouses and villages so the rural population can hear the "message" conveyed by RFS, he added. "Now the landowners, who are mostly the Dayaks, have awakened up and they are rethinking their support for the BN," commented See, who as a human rights activist and lawyer, has helping the landowners over the last 15 years. He also claimed the Dayaks have been marginalised by the government in terms of allocation of development funds, thus a high percentage of them are living well below the poverty line. He said that the Dayaks can change the political landscape in Sarawak and even Malaysia, given that they are the largest ethnic group in Sarawak. An analysis of the 2011 state election results showed that the Chinese or urban voters were more towards PR while the Malay/Melanau voters, on the other hand, were strong supporters of the BN parties, particularly Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) led by Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud. If the 2011 state election results are anything to go by, it is very clear where the urban votes will go to PR in the GE13, and it is almost certain that the majority of the Malay/Melanau votes will go to the BN, particularly PBB. There are six seats where the Chinese form the majority while the Malay/Melanau form the majority in seven seats. Another four seats are considered mixed where the racial compositions of the voters are almost equal. An analysis by the Election Commission showed that the BN in Sarawak suffered a decline in popularity votes from 64.2 % in the 2008 general election to 55.4 % in the 2011 state election. On the other hand, PR's popularity votes increased from 29.2 % in 2008 to 38.9 % in 2011. According to analysis by the DAP, there was a general decline in support among the Dayaks to the BN, with the Iban dropped by 14.1 % and the Bidayuh by 13 %. The DAP said that there was a major shift in support among the non-Chinese, especially the Dayaks towards the Opposition in 2011. It is obvious that the party won in six out of 12 seats in 2011 due to the shift in support of the non-Chinese from BN to PR. The party received increased support from non-Chinese voters in Kidurong (48 %), Kota Sentosa (35 %), Repok (30 %), Piasau (39%), Pujut (35%) and Batu Kawah (30%). If the decline in popularity votes is again registered in the GE13, the BN will lose at least 10 seats to the Opposition. BN leaders like Taib and Masing have both felt that the BN could win two-thirds of the 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak.
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| GE13: The battle starts in the cyber world Posted: 30 Mar 2013 04:19 PM PDT
The cyber space will be a key battlefield in the coming elections, but what say its community? Hence, with some 80% of the 3.75 million new voters aged below 40 not counting the "experienced" under 40-voters out of the other 10 million over registered voters in the country it is no surprise that politicians from both divides are doing all they can to woo them. Hariati Azizan, The Star THE frenzy matched that of a rock gig or a k-pop concert depending on one's taste with the "fans" and "stars" moving and cheering in unison to the same beat. The group of social media volunteers sitting near me squealed and giggled with equal excitement whenever a youth leader or an invited local celebrity guest took the podium at the recent Barisan Nasional Youth Cyber Activists Gathering. Self-professed social media addict Zue in a Yuna-inspired blue headscarf shares that she has not done any cyber political activism yet but followed her friends to the gathering to check out the scene. "I'm glad I signed up. Like what YB Khairy (Jamaluddin) said, I am here because I believe in the party and I think we can help them win the elections," says the 26-year-old who follows PM Najib Tun Razak and the Barisan youth leader on Twitter. What issues concern her, then? "The economy and jobs. Prices of things and houses. Safety, crime, freedom to practise my religion... Peace, stability and our independence as a country," she rattles on. It is no exaggeration to say that the political landscape has changed since the 2008 general election. The political enthusiasm and concern for public issues of today's young people seem to have grown somewhat since GE12. A survey by a non-profit organisation Asia Foundation on The Youth Factor: 2012 Survey of Malaysian Youth Opinion, found that a majority of young Malaysians felt that they could effect change in the country. A whopping 69% believe that they have at least a little influence over the government. And unlike the common notion of the revolutionary youth, many do believe in the institutions, with over 80% stating their confidence in the Prime Minister and civil administration. Hence, with some 80% of the 3.75 million new voters aged below 40 not counting the "experienced" under 40-voters out of the other 10 million over registered voters in the country it is no surprise that politicians from both divides are doing all they can to woo them.  If used as a one-way street, social media users are quick to turn off and tune out. - DAVID LIAN And with this cohort being the most wired, it is no bombshell that the cyber space has emerged as a key battlefield in GE13. Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz, chairperson of Umno Youth's new media unit, pertinently observes this. "It cannot be denied that the youths will use the social media only for what they are interested in. But come election season, even those who are not interested in politics will be drawn to political newsbites and want to keep up with the developments in the country's political scene," he says. A spirited cyber activist who only wanted to be known as Nabil agrees, declaring he is volunteering to fight for Barisan in the cyber world for his children's future. "We cannot let the Opposition take over and destroy the country. So, like what the PM said, we have to defeat them on their turf the social media," he says. He believes that there has also been a shift in "influence" when it comes to polling. "In the past, young people voted according to their parents' political beliefs. Today, I think parents are influenced by their children when they go out and vote. "For example, my parents and most of my friends' parents actually ask us about the latest political buzz on our Facebook and Twitter," he shares, adding that is what the Barisan cyber troopers are also rallied to do to spread the truth against the "lies" spread by the opposition not just online but also offline. Still, not all young people are swayed by the political onslaught in the web. A postgraduate student who only wants to be known as Jefri says there is too much "noise" and it is making him switch off. "I am going to decide after I hear the candidates speak at the ceramah and see them myself," he says. Social marketing expert Anas Zubedy feels that the political noise conceals the reality that the average young person is unaware of politics and the political leaders. Anas, who conducted his own telephone survey, had written on his blog that his findings convinced him that the "Internet population" would not significantly affect the outcome of the coming elections. "There are too many distractions out there and politicians are not seen as cool...as a consequence, the youth just don't have that drive to fully use the Internet to catch up on current affairs, politics in particular," he concluded. Social media observer G. Yeoh also thinks that the impact of the social media will not be as significant as expected. "I don't think the majority of voters in Malaysia have access to social media. The urban voters yes, but not the non-urban voters. It's simplistic to claim that just because it's the first' time that this tool is being used and it's new'. I have seen in the last GE social media being used in various ways by young Malaysians wanting to make a difference, on their own without binding themselves to any political faction." Yeoh observes that while younger politicians are definitely revving up their presence on social media, not all politicians are using it to their advantage, which is a shame as it is good as a direct connection to their constituents. "It really allows for people to get in touch with them directly. It's nice to be able to tweet with your MP because too often they are placed up on the pedestal. It's nice to know that politicians are human too." Ironically, he points out, that is the key the human touch. He says it does not work when the politicians falsely inflate the number of followers, get their assistants to tweet for them or worse, not tweet at all. That is why politicians like Khairy Jamaluddin, Tony Pua, Abdul Rahman Dahlan, Nurul Izzah and Saifuddin Abdullah have many followers, he says. "They tweet themselves and the tweets are real. And sometimes they make mistakes too. People can tell when another person is real. People don't follow each other on Twitter or Facebook just so they can consume the same old messages churned out by strategists." Crucially, it should not be used for trolling their critics. "Social media is a tool of communication, not a tool to hide behind and to attack your imagined enemies." For many of his peers, the number of followers or likes is just that, a number. As a young voter, Yeoh says, he expects his leader to be honest and real. "It's not a popularity contest. They can claim to have millions of followers or likes on Facebook all they want, but without interaction, those are just numbers." In contrast, digital culture commentator Niki Cheong feels that the numbers do matter. "It is embarrassing for a senior politician to have, say, only 3,000 followers on Twitter. It gives a perception that you are not relevant." Politicians need to find what works for them, he says, and to "just do it!" on their social media accounts. "You need to be constantly engaging with the people." What many do not realise is that it is a community, so you need to be "living" in it. The easiest way is for politicians to make it a part of their lives too, not just a planned campaigning tool. "As a politician, everything you say and do is being recorded, so why not put it out yourself. Instead of just putting your photographs and videos out, you can highlight your meetings, other programmes and activities online," says Cheong. Social media expert David Lian concurs. As the 2008 elections demonstrated, he notes, social media could be used as an effective communications tool and it's good that many politicians have become more engaged on social media. However, he stresses, it should be a two-way communication. "I'd challenge politicians to stop thinking of just using social media for campaigning purposes, but to genuinely engage their constituents. Social media is a fantastic platform to really get closer to the rakyat's needs and to foster a healthy dialogue about our community's issues today. It shouldn't be relegated merely to another propaganda channel. If used as a one-way street, social media users are quick to turn off and tune out." Stresses Lian, young people today expect action and integrity from their political leaders, "I've seen these issues consistently highlighted by young people on social media and it would do politicians well to listen."
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| GE13: Taking on the opposition in their home ground Posted: 30 Mar 2013 04:17 PM PDT
"The UMB is the party's cyber war engine. Its main task is to raise awareness among other party engines about the use of new media and social media networks to deliver information and effectively engage youth who are already exposed to the media," says Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz, Umno Youth exco member and chairperson of UMB. The Star THERE is nothing better than winning in your opponent's home ground!" The rallying cry by Barisan Nasional Youth chairman Khairy Jamaluddin to the 600 over cyber activists at the BN Youth Cyber Activists Gathering recently was loud and clear. "The cyber world is the opposition's home ground as they have been using this platform for a long time. We are the away team' and the cyber world is the most important arena this election." He may be younger and arguably better-looking than Sir Alex Ferguson but one can just imagine the self-professed Manchester United fan doing a "hairdryer" on his (cyber) "players" with his fiery roar. Echoing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's earlier clarion call to his team to take heed of the cyber pitch in their election tournament, Khairy reiterates that social media is a vital gameplan for Barisan if they want to clinch the trophy and title in the GE13. Like Najib, the Barisan Youth have been gearing up for the cyber warfare for a few years now, ever since they lost the match on that platform in the last elections. Najib who launched his Facebook page in 2009 has amassed some 1.4 million likes on FB and more than one million followers on Twitter. He has since tapped into various technology and mobile applications available like Instagram and Vine. Khairy is no second stringer either in the social media arena with almost 50,000 likes on FB and some 243,000 followers on Twitter. Recognising the importance of engagement with the youth, on the social media networks in particular, he led the setting up of the Umno Youth's New Media Unit (UMB) in 2009. "The UMB is the party's cyber war engine. Its main task is to raise awareness among other party engines about the use of new media and social media networks to deliver information and effectively engage youth who are already exposed to the media," says Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz, Umno Youth exco member and chairperson of UMB. Since its inception in 2009, UMB has been involved in more than 150 programmes nationwide including training programmes, engagement programmes, special operations and talk shows. To consolidate the coalition's social media initiatives, the BN Youth Cyber team was established last August. "Before BNYCT was set up, there was no official platform to coordinate all the cyber initiatives by the cyber engines of the respective Barisan component parties for the coming general election," Tun Faisal adds. The initiative also aims to provide a platform for those on Facebook, Twitter and blogs to interact with other pro-Barisan supporters. "This platform will enable us to reach out to youths in a better manner unlike in the 2008 elections when we did not have a proper online network to address misinformation," he notes. Some 2,300 cyber activists have been trained while the BNCYT have garnered a total exposure of around 700,000 people on Facebook and some 250,000 followers on Twitter. With an eye on the coming general elections, the BNYCT have been busy preparing materials to spread information on Barisan's policies, track record and success stories as well as organising various gatherings with their cyber volunteers. The recent gathering was one of its pre-election mobilisation programmes. Expecting a negative campaign by the Opposition, the BN Youth have also launched Gempak ("Gerakan Menolak Penipuan Pembangkang") a campaign to counter the "propaganda lies" of the opposition. With its catchphrase "Jamunji" ("Janji, mungkir janji" or "Promises, broken promises") the campaign will highlight all the unkept promises by the opposition leaders, especially in the opposition-held states. "It is crucial for us to respond to these attacks with facts and evidence. "But that is not all, the method of delivering these facts is as important in determining whether we can win the hearts and minds of voters," Khairy says at a press conference during the gathering, stressing that the BNY cyber team will not "sink to their level by spreading slanderous information to fight the opposition." Positive sharing of facts and evidence is also a strategy used by slightly older but equally connected politician Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah. "I use social media as a tool for sharing (contents), not just for communicating. So I try my best to put across the issues I want to share, like my "new politics", "youth empowerment", "soul of university", "strengthening co-curriculum", with approaches that are open, casual and, sometimes, humourous." The old style of attacking, or over attacking, the opposition, is not going to convert voters who have made up their mind; and is likely not imaginative in the eye of the middle ground or fence sitters around 30% of the electorate who get most of their political information from social media, says Saifuddin. He believes there is no longer social divide between rural and urban voters. "Even for a constituency like Temerloh where I come from, it is physically 50% rural and 50% urban, but the social media penetration is about 70%, so I don't think there is a digital divide," he says, adding that even in instances where there is no access to cyberspace, there are "enablers" people who share the information that they derive from social media. Crucially, he concedes, the social media has given him an insight into young people's concerns. "People today are no longer discussing only old issues like development, but are adding new issues like freedom and human rights, areas that we still have lots of room for improvement." Saifuddin feels that Barisan is much more prepared this time, compared to GE12. "We have enough number of people working on social media (with some 10,000 cybertroopers). But in all honesty, we still need to improve in terms of contents and approach." Ultimately, can all the FB likes and Twitter following be translated into real votes? Khairy is confident. "Sure, there are a few who tick like' or follow us to mock us, but most are supporters. The real supporters we need to mobilise to come out and vote, which we will do through the social media."
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| ‘The case for change is preponderant’ Posted: 30 Mar 2013 03:33 PM PDT Former Umno veteran Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir says his independent party, Parti Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia, supports Pakatan because Malaysia needs change "[We have] poor people in the kampung, longhouse, [the government] keeps on giving them money, and they don't even watch news. So anyone who gives them money, they consider them as the good guys. And they're in the majority." Anisah Shukry, FMT Parti Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia (Ikatan) founder Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir once cut a formidable figure in Umno politics. As the Minister of Culture, Arts and Tourism in 1999 during the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad era, and then the Minister of Information from 2004 to 2006 in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's time, the man was among the most powerful in the country. But in January 2012, Abdul Kadir began making headlines after he accused the ruling party of handing out between RM200 and RM1,000 to voters in previous elections in exchange for votes. He eventually left the party, and has since appeared arbitrarily in the media, with the spotlight focusing on his attempts to have Ikatan be registered under the Registrar of Societies. Speaking to FMT in an exclusive interview, Abdul Kadir explained Ikatan's position in a political arena dominated by two opposing coalitions – the ruling Barisan Nasional, and the loose opposition pact Pakatan Rakyat. "We do not want to officially join Pakatan Rakyat. We'll support what has to be supported, but right now I'm with Pakatan," said Abdul Kadir. "To be frank, now that I've mixed with them, I can see the weaknesses in PAS, PKR, DAP, but I also know the weaknesses in Barisan Nasional. I think the case for change is preponderant; its overwhelming." He said Pakatan had "very bright people" and the pact could not entirely be blamed for its failings in the four states it has been ruling since general election 2008 – Kedah, Kelantan, Selangor and Penang. "A state government can't do much if they don't have the support of the federal government because they don't have the money," he pointed out. Abdul Kadir said he also supported certain aspects of the Pakatan manifesto, such as helping those who deserve it, as opposed to BN's policy which he claimed only enriched a few bumiputeras. "In the opposition manifesto which I like, [it states that it would] help everybody who deserves… So you help the Malays based on the theory of natural justice…You help the poor to come up to the level of the advanced. No need to help the poor based on narrow, racist policies." No hope for Umno to change "Six thousand or eight thousand years of world history have proven that all along, if any government stays more than 30 years continuously, the bad habit takes root, deep root, and no way you can change it. "So the bad habits in Umno, in the BN government, have taken root. Even though they talk about fighting corruption, but everyday its becoming worse and worse. No way they can change, no way, unless some drastic realignment of parties, and political forces and so on," he stressed. As for what Ikatan could offer, Abdul Kadir said its focus was to carry on the ideas of Malaysia's founding fathers as well as the concept of "Bangsa Malaysia" – a slogan referring to Malaysians united in peace, justice and harmony. "I believe in Bangsa Malaysia. I really believe in Bangsa Malaysia, when I was minister of culture and tourism, I used that opportunity to work really hard to move to Bangsa Malaysia." But he said he would no longer be contesting in future elections, although he would remain active in politics for the rest of his days through Ikatan. Cash handouts swaying voters "Based on my own knowledge, the real will of the people, they want to change. But I'm really worried about all this cash handouts, whether it distorts the real will of the people. "[We have] poor people in the kampung, longhouse, [the government] keeps on giving them money, and they don't even watch news. So anyone who gives them money, they consider them as the good guys. And they're in the majority." Last week, Najib had promised that the BR1M programme, which he initiated, would continue to be an annual handout. The one-time cash handouts of RM500 reportedly helped nearly five million families at a cost of RM2.6 billion last year, increasing Najib's approval ratings up to 69 per cent. These past few weeks have also seen the prime minister promising a slew of goodies to the rakyat, including one-off cash of RM500 to all Telekom Malaysia staff, 1,000 individual permits to taxi drivers, pension to staff of government statutory bodies and 20 minutes of free Internet service to the poor. 'Subtle revolts' "I was already in revolt, even in the 80's, in 1987 I joined Team B. Some became team members because they wanted to [support] Tengku Razaleigh [Hamzah]…But I myself revolted because of this corruption, cronyism and whatnot," recalled Abdul Kadir. He was referring to the two camps in Umno which came into being after former finance minister Tenku Razaleigh challenged Mahathir over the party's 1987 polls. Team B, lead by then finance minister Tengku Razaleigh had reportedly criticised Mahathir, his leadership style and his policies. Abdul Kadir said that even as information minister, he introduced a weekly one-hour programme on RTM where opposition leaders openly debated with BN members on certain topics – an almost unthinkable concept now. "Of course I was attacked by my Umno colleages [for initiating the debate]. I was really attacked. [They asked me:] 'how is it I gave chance to opposition'? "But I said 'no, its good, because [opposition supporters] are watching TV, the government also has an opportunity to explain their position to the other side. If not for that fact, the other side will not watch what the ministers saying." 'RTM airtime for opposition a big joke' "It's a big joke. If I were the opposition, I would just not accept it. It's an insult. If RTM can't be absolutely free, at least six months before the elections, you should open it up…[But] free press to Rais Yatim means 10 minutes. Ten minutes in eleven days," he said, laughing heartily. Rais had said that the opportunity was provided in respect of the country's democratic system, but the opposition pact have since rejected the offer as an "insult." Commenting on this, Abdul Kadir said: "Times have changed and Najib has announced time has changed, and he wants to change, so might as well change. "People tell me, 'why during your time you didn't change [Umno]?' Well, that was during my time, and I did try. But now there's an official policy called 'political transformation', so change. [Don't say], "oh we are free, we give ten minutes to opposition party," he said.
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