NAJIB TELLS UMNO MEMBERS TO STEP UP SOCIAL MEDIA FIGHT AGAINST OPPOSITION
Umno president wants party members to counter allegations by opposition as election is imminent
BARISAN Nasional’s ability to conduct “cyberwarfare” will determine whether the ruling coalition will come out victorious again in the 14th General Election (GE14).
Therefore, BN chairman and Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday called on Umno members, especially its cyberwarriors, officially known as the Umno IT Bureau, to “conquer the cyberworld” as GE14 was imminent.
“We lost the cyberwars in GE12 and GE13. So, in GE14, we must win... this effort is very important because GE14 is very, very near.
“The most influential information is on social media. From today onwards, the Umno IT Bureau must launch its attacks so that GE14 will be ours,” he said at the Umno Social Media Convention at the Putra World Trade Centre here to more than 3,800 Umno members.
Najib said this time around, Umno members could not afford to act like “it’s business as usual”, as they must occupy the front line on social media to counter the allegations made by the opposition.
He said Umno must change its ways in engaging people on social media as this was a “new battleground”.
He called on party members to be more creative in their approach on social media to gain support from Malaysians.
“If we look at the opposition’s content, it’s not the truth, but it’s juicy. That’s how they attract the public. So, we need to change our presentation and presence online to make it more interesting.”
Najib said the power of social media was such that it could impact people’s perception, whether the news was true or false.
He said if Umno members failed to tackle accusations against the party, the lies would keep on spreading.
“Use our mobile phones as our tongues. Social media is powerful. Whether the news is true, false or half fake, it can go viral in the blink of an eye. We must not give up because of these lies. With the IT Bureau, I hope we will all do our work seriously.”
He urged party members to stop bickering with each other and reminded them that the opposition was the “only enemy” in facing GE14.
“Stop all this friendly fire among us. Sometimes, we get jealous of one another. But, please, don’t attack each other. I don’t like it.
“Even if we sometimes get angry by just looking at someone’s face, don’t attack. Hold the anger for a while. GE14 is near. Remember, our enemy is the opposition, not each other.”
He took a swipe at Pakatan Harapan, labelling the pact “inconsistent” and continuously making U-turns.
He lambasted the opposition, which had previously condemned BN’s 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) initiative.
“The Selangor (menteri besar) is giving aid to housewives. How is this different from BR1M? In principle, it’s the same thing. They accused me of giving ‘dedak’ due to BR1M, but now that they are doing it (giving aid), they didn’t label is as ‘dedak’.
“Principle is principle. Don’t sway the facts. That is double standard.”