by Giam Say Khoon, sun2surf.
PETALING JAYA (March 19, 2007): Political parties are increasingly using the Internet as a communication tool to prepare for the upcoming general election, with opposition parties being more dependent on their websites than the Barisan Nasional.
* DAP publicity secretary Teresa Kok said the party tries to overcome its lack of human resources by updating its website.
“It is an effective tool as voters will look for news from the website, but the leaders might not have the time to write for the web,” she said, adding that it was not enough even with two people managing the website during the election.
Kok said unlike the ruling parties, the DAP did not have the resources to use the print and electronic media as campaign tools.
She said the party was hoping to improve its online DAP TV to be on par with the successful online PAS TV for the general election.
She also said voters relied more on going to election operation centres, the party headquarters and on public talks for information than on the Internet.
* Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah said the Internet was a very useful tool for the Opposition although traditional media like print and TV still played a dominant role.
“Unlike Indonesia’s general elections in September 2005, not all Malaysian political parties are given the chance to go on TV or be featured in newspapers,” he said.
Sivarasa said he had set up his own blog in the last general election and expected other Keadilan candidates to do the same or to set up a personal website for the coming election.
He added that Keadilan candidates saw the Internet as the only useful avenue to disseminate their message to voters.
* Gerakan publicity and community liaison bureau chairman Chua Chong An said it was harder for a BN party to use the Internet than an opposition party. He said people’s expectations of promises made by the BN were higher compared with those made by the Opposition.
“We are held responsible for every word we say. Hence, we are slower to disseminate news to the people via the Internet,” he said.
Chua said while information can be disseminated through the Internet in a split second, it was only available to those with Internet access, particularly the younger generation in urban centres.
He added that the print and electronic media were still the BN’s favourite means of communication because they were widely available and accessible.
“During the general election, we will mobilise our resources to utilise all media, including the Internet, but I think the best way of communication is still face-to-face meeting with voters.”
* Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib said a political party must keep abreast with technology.
“Young voters are Internet-savvy. So we must have our own website to disseminate our news to them,” he said, adding that the Internet could also serve Malaysians overseas.
Muhammad said to Umno, the Internet was as important as the newspapers and TV.
According to a 2004 report by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Institute of Malaysian and International Studies, while most voters relied on the mainstream media as their primary news source, the media’s “believability rating” was relatively low.
The report said a plurality of voters relied on word-of-mouth “news”, followed by party newsletters, leaflets or speeches while the role of the Internet was “relatively small”.
Updated: 12:41AM Mon, 19 Mar 2007