GE15: Physical campaigns now less 'lively'

SHAH ALAM - Political analyst Dr Mohamed Tawfik Yaakub said the 15th General Election (GE15) campaigns seem to be physically unresponsive and less “lively” during the three days of the campaign period.

He said the excitement was probably not felt yet as it was still early.

However, he said the atmosphere would start to get “heated” as it approached the final week of the campaign.

"Moreover, the campaign is physically unresponsive due to the Covid-19 cases, other than the people who are tired of the political issues and politicians with their never-ending talks and campaigns.

"If we look at GE14, many people were present to hear talks and explanations from the political parties themselves, but the situation is different in this election where the campaigns did not receive much response from the people," he told Sinar Harian.

On the online campaigns, Mohamed Tawfik said political parties had chosen social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and TikTok to spread information to voters, especially the youths.

"The method is energy-efficient, cost-effective and machinery is needed as the campaign period is two weeks long.

"In addition, young people or the elderly in urban areas tend to choose to get information through social media. This makes it easier for them to get all the information about the manifesto and what each party that will be contesting in GE15 has to offer through online campaigning," he said.

However, he said in contrast to rural areas, the community was more inclined towards a face-to-face campaign approach.

"This is because more seniors and those who work and live in the village are less focused on social media, so face-to-face campaigning is necessary to make it easier for them to get the information presented," he said.

Thus, Mohamed Tawfik said in today's context, both methods should be adopted by any political party contesting in the election.