We need to educate the VOTERS
Like I said, it is not the 6 million Unique Visitors that I am monitoring but the NEW visitors. We need to reach new readers — the not yet committed or still undecided. And if Malaysia Today is merely a platform to let off steam and to curse Umno, Barisan Nasional, the Malays, Islam, the Indians, Hindraf, and whatnot, then the only people who are going to visit Malaysia Today would be the hard-core opposition supporters, the 30%, and not the uncommitted or undecided 40%.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Some have asked why I no longer bash Umno and Barisan Nasional? Actually I do. It is just that I do not curse and swear like in the past. Of course, the traditional readers of Malaysia Today find that not interesting enough. They love to read the cursing and swearing. It is entertaining to them.
But is this what we want to do: to entertain the readers with cursing and swearing? I know it’s nice to read the articles that curse and swear at Umno and Barisan Nasional. More importantly, though, will it result in more votes for Pakatan Rakyat?
That is the end game: to help Pakatan Rakyat get more votes. And the game plan has to be: how to get the 40% atas pagar or fence sitter voters to vote for Pakatan Rakyat?
Those who read Malaysia Today are already committed Pakatan Rakyat supporters. They will vote for Pakatan Rakyat even if I close Malaysia Today down and no longer write anything. They are in the category of the 30% that I wrote about earlier.
Hence, if I curse and swear at Umno and Barisan Nasional, is this going to change anything? Would this make those who have already decided to vote for Pakatan Rakyat vote for Pakatan Rakyat? They would still vote for Pakatan Rakyat even if I curse and swear at Pakatan Rakyat and praise Umno and Barisan Nasional.
We have to be careful to not play to the gallery and end up preaching to the converted. We need to reach the 40% undecided or uncommitted voters. And these people refuse to come to Malaysia Today because they are put off by the cursing and swearing. In fact, they detest the use of four-letter words and many times I receive e-mails from people who tell me they would read what I write if only I did not use four-letter words.
Over the last 12 months, Malaysia Today received 5.9 million Unique Visitors. Out of that, almost 20% or more than one million were NEW visitors. That is an increase compared to 6 million Unique Visitors and only 16% NEW visitors in 2010. The 2009 figures were about the same as for 2010.
Like I said, it is not the 6 million Unique Visitors that I am monitoring but the NEW visitors. We need to reach new readers — the not yet committed or still undecided. And if Malaysia Today is merely a platform to let off steam and to curse Umno, Barisan Nasional, the Malays, Islam, the Indians, Hindraf, and whatnot, then the only people who are going to visit Malaysia Today would be the hard-core opposition supporters, the 30%, and not the uncommitted or undecided 40%.
The comments are another issue. Many who used to visit Malaysia Today but no longer do so is because they are put off by the racist and bigotry comments by readers. Also, they find the comments totally out of context and not at all referring to what the news report or article is saying.
Opinions are one thing. Letting off steam is another. And when we let off steam at the expense of losing the middle ground then that would be doing more harm than good.
We need to change tactics even at the risk of our traditional readers leaving us. Anyway, the traditional readers are committed to Pakatan Rakyat so we should not be too concerned about them. What we need to do is to attract the middle ground, people who want to read sensible and intellectual opinions so that they can evaluate whether what we are saying is credible or not.
I know we have lost some of our traditional readers. The figures do not lie. But am I concerned about that? I would be concerned if we get 10 million Unique Visitors and zero New Visitors. That would mean we have failed to attract the middle ground, the non-Pakatan and non-BN readers who are non-partisan and only want to read what is happening so that they can decide whom to vote for come the next GE.
And do we need to continue to talk about the bad that Umno and BN is doing? Many other people are already doing that. Many new Blogs and news portals have mushroomed over the last three years or so. We are not short of Umno- and BN-bashing websites.
We must focus on what the others are not doing. And this middle ground is not interested in hearing the bad about the government. They already know that. They want to know how things can improve if Pakatan Rakyat instead of Barisan Nasional runs the country.
That is going to be our focus in the run-up to the next election. And we shall have to expose the wrongdoings by both sides of the political divide to prove to the middle ground that we are not hard-core opposition diehards but are, in fact, in the middle and take no sides. Only then will the 40% listen to what we are saying. Or else, whatever we say will be interpreted as opposition propaganda.
Anyway, see but some of the comments below to give you an idea how many who comment do so without understanding what they are reading.
THE NEWS REPORT: The Kedah Barisan Nasional (BN) will reach out to over 967,000 new voters in the state through the “1Million Voters” programme starting next month, its chairman Datuk Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah said.
THE COMMENT: Wait a minute…..wasnt it declared recently that UMNO has 3M members to support their cause????? Then why the need to register more ‘new’ UMNO voters. From kedah. Are there even any more Malaysian malays left in kedah who are not UMNO, PAS or orang asli? or are these new ‘voters’ from Thailand? (by Harry).
THE NEWS REPORT: It is better to slow down development than to scrap race-based policies and risk ethnic clashes in the country, Tun Dr Mahathir has said.
THE COMMENT: How come until today the future of the rakyat has been destroy by this man and he still talking……just don’t understand the people still supporting them, don’t they paid toll, electricity, petrol etc etc. (by kolmankoh).
THE NEWS REPORT: Pekida, however, is more militant. Pekida is the IRA of Umno, not Perkasa. But you do not see them or hear them. There are many members of Pekida in the government, in Umno, in the military, in the police force, etc. This is the real paramilitary force of Umno. In fact, Abdullah Badawi is the leader of Pekida in Penang and Dr Mahathir the leader of Pekida in Kedah. And we have Pekida in Selangor and all over Malaysia, all headed by key Umno leaders.
THE COMMENT: So we should all be afraid of Perkida. In other words, we shouldn’t be afraid of homosexuals right? Or anyone who is being portrayed as one, correct? Unless of course, he happens to be a homosexual Perkida, ya? (by Taikohtai).
THE COMMENT (2): It seems to me Malaysia Today is no longer the source of independent news. You write about perkasa or pekida but what about DJZ and all sorts of Chinese association that are racially motivated to protect chinese rights. I think DJZ etc and you included have been trumpeting about Malay racism, perkasa, pekida and what not. (by The real Hazil).
THE NEWS REPORT: The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) has withdrawn its support for the “Anything But Umno” (ABU) movement and has advised members against attending ABU events.
THE COMMENT: Hindraf still around? Wow, it seems you are making noise so people will notice that you still are. Listen, if you keep making even silent contribution towards the progress of kicking out UMNO, everyone will appreciate your existence. But if not, then too bad…(by PainInTheS).
THE COMMENT (2): Hindraf is another Perkasa it seems. With Indians in the minority and splits into various parties, it will one day be only a redundant group. (by tajmahal).
THE COMMENT (3): So funny seeing the Chinese attacking the Kelings for not being loyal. Guess someone forgot to tell them that the majority Chinese still secretly support BN. Rice bowl protection. As evidenced by their top business leaders nauseating pandering to najib umno. (by Oz Chinese).
MANY MORE COMMENTS HERE: http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/newscommentaries/46787-hindraf-withdraws-support-for-abu
