KUALA LUMPUR: Popular actress Zahirah MacWilson is not known to share the stage with prominent politicians, but yesterday she did so with none other than former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Zahirah was a guest at a dialogue session between the Parti Keadilan Rakyat president-elect and young Malaysians from universities and non-governmental organisations held at Corus Hotel in Jalan Ampang yesterday.
The dialogue session also saw the launch of former Parti Keadilan Rakyat deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali’s book A People’s History of Malaysia.
Zahirah was given the opportunity to speak about the role of social media in disseminating useful information to Malaysian youths, and she briefly shared her experiences as a Twitter, Instagram and Facebook user.
In her speech, she said: “Social media has changed our lives for the better, in that it has given us quick access to the latest news and events in town. However, it’s also been used for negative purposes, such as cyber-bullying and as a celebrity, I’ve been criticised and condemned many times.”
Zahirah also said Netizens ought to wisen up to the use of social media, by “sifting out” negative comments and keeping positive ones.
“We're a lot more interconnected than before, because of social media. It’s been a great help, but we must always handle it with care.”
The actress from Perlis also shared her opinions on the Pakatan Harapan government, and said that she was supportive of its initiatives to combat corruption and introduce new policies that benefit Malaysian taxpayers.