KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional’s ability to conduct “cyber warfare” will determine whether the ruling coalition will come out victorious again in the upcoming 14th general election (GE14).
Therefore, BN chairman and Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak today called on all Umno members, especially its cyber warriors, officially known as the Umno IT Bureau, to “conquer the cyber world” as GE14 was imminent.
“We lost the cyber wars 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 during the Umno Social Media Convention at Putra World Trade Centre to more than 3,800 Umno members who were present.
Najib said, this time around, Umno members could not afford to act like “it’s business as usual”, as they must occupy the frontline on social media in order to counter the allegations made by the opposition.
He said Umno must change its ways in engaging with the people on social media as this was a “new battleground”.
Najib also called on party members to be more creative in their approach on social media in order 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 in terms of our presentation and presence online to make it more interesting.”
Najib also pointed out that the power of social media was such that it can impact the people’s perception, regardless of whether the news was true or false.
He said if Umno members failed to swat away 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 or false or half fake, it can go viral in a 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 added.
He also 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 this kind of attitude.
“Even if sometimes we get angry by just looking at someone’s face, don’t attack. Pause the anger for a while. GE14 is near. Remember, our enemy is the opposition, not each other,” he said.
Najib also took a swipe at Pakatan Harapan, labeling the pact “inconsistent” and continuously making U-turns.
He lambasted the opposition who 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.”