By Selangor Journal Team
SHAH ALAM, May 16 — Being “champions” on social media alone will not be able to help Pakatan Harapan attract the support of younger voters who appear currently more inclined to back Perikatan Nasional (PN).
Instead, Selangor Harapan chairman Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said the coalition needs to better identify the people’s true concerns and resolve issues affecting them.
Free Malaysia Today quoted Amirudin, who is also Menteri Besar, as saying that if Harapan can achieve this, it will enjoy greater support from younger voters.
This is after youth-focused civil society group Undi18 suggested Harapan be more aggressive on social media, including TikTok, to improve its narrative for the younger audience.
“It is not a problem of the tools or vehicles used, it is not an issue of TikTok or Instagram. Whatever tools we use, if we address the right issues, it will draw the attention (of the youths),” he said after the Digital Heritage Hub launching ceremony at Istana Puteri Bongsu, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia today.
On May 13, think tank Institut Darul Ehsan released a report showing that while Harapan had won the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election by a considerable majority, PN secured most of the youth votes.
Based on its analysis, support for Harapan among the 18-24, 25-30, and 31-40 age groups was only 36 percent, 33.8 percent, and 39.5 percent, respectively.
Earlier today, Free Malaysia Today quoted Undi18 co-foundder Tharma Pillai as saying that the Harapan can regain youth support through more effective use of social media and by refining its narrative to capture the group’s imagination.
Amirudin said that having been in the Opposition before, he knew what it felt like to have a government that does not understand and resolve the people’s concerns on the ground.
“The Madani government today must understand the people’s concerns so that they can address the real issues, not just following (social media trends). It must be able to explain and understand these issues.
“This is what the Harapan think tanks and leaders must pay attention to,” he said.
