Campaign for votes goes online
Malaysian opposition uses Internet TV to widen reach of its leaders
Carolyn Hong, Straits Times
IT USED to be that going to a political rally in Malaysia meant packing an umbrella and being ready to stand for hours in a muddy field to listen to speeches.
But today, Malaysians can sit in the comfort of their homes and watch rallies streamed “live” over the Internet on their tablets, smartphones and computer screens.
This cannot compare to TV of course, as six million Malaysian households have television sets.
When the ruling Barisan Nasional launched its election manifesto on Saturday, it was carried live on public television. While it has its share of tweeters and bloggers to get its message across, it was playing to its strengths in its choice of platform.
Similarly, when the opposition Pakatan Rakyat launched its manifesto on Feb 25, it used the Internet, leveraging on its greater experience and skills.
The campaign moving online is a boon for some voters.
“It’s convenient and good that we can watch for ourselves instead of reading it in the newspapers or news websites and blogs,” said retiree Zarina Bakar, 53, who lives in Kuala Lumpur.
Last week, she watched opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim speak at a rally in Gerik, Perak, about three hours away from her home. While it was not as exciting as being there, it was still useful, she said.
“We can see what he said, as he said it,” she added.
Over 7,000 people watched the rally that was streamed live that night, compared to about 1,000 people present at the rally itself.
Viewership is expected to grow after the Election Commission announces nomination and polling dates tomorrow.
This is the first election where opposition parties are streaming video, now that technology has made it cheaper and easier to do. They also hope to reach Malaysians abroad.
The Democratic Action Party (DAP) is running the 24-hour Ubah.TV, which also plays reruns of its rallies and some news items. The Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) uses a popular website to provide live streams of its rallies.
Mr Tony Pua, the DAP’s national publicity secretary said Ubah.TV had 38,000 viewers last Friday, with about 8,000 to 10,000 in the evening peak hours.
By comparison, the PKR ceramahs, or rallies, get about 7,000 to 8,000 people when Mr Anwar speaks.
Media analyst Oon Yeoh, who writes on digital media issues, said using Internet TV will help the opposition reach more voters, albeit mostly urbanites.
Of course, catching a rally on a computer pales in comparison to standing with thousands of people and listening to fiery oratory, he said. But the reality is that the few top speakers can only do a few rallies a night.
Running an Internet TV station, however, does cost money, though the political parties would not reveal how much.
The PKR has a team of three to four people covering Mr Anwar’s ceramahs and several of their bigger stars.
For the DAP, Mr Pua said they have teams in all but two states to stream major events.
“The viewership is picking up and we expect it to grow after the campaign officially begins,” he said.
