Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Action Body Advocating Rights (Sabar) Chairman Datuk Zainie Aucasa is glad that the manifestos of most Sabah political parties in the 17th State Election acted on Sabar’s 117 recommendations from the 12 townhall sessions.
The sessions spanning 10 months held statewide highlighted the voices of Sabahans.
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“At the final town hall session, representatives of the majority of political parties in Sabah came on stage to collect our documents.
“Soon six parties actively engaged with Sabar in formulating their own manifestos,” he said, recalling initial public scepticism on Sabar’s drive to bring about a new political culture in Sabah.
"Most of our recommendations were in their manifestos.” Zainie said, citing the new State government’s resolve to make GLCs submit quarterly reports.
“We are very happy now there is a healthcare portfolio in one of the ministries. The same with education and transport infrastructure. We are very grateful to the parties and coalition that formed the present government.”
Sabah hoped to meet with ministers on its recommendations.
Zainie said 24 out of 30 townhall articles published in relation to this grassroot movement project supported by professionals and the public were published on the front page of the Daily Express.
At least 10,000 people were following Sabar’s online reports on its activities.
“We want to create more intellectual discourses, greater awareness, better awareness of our rights, greater sense of belonging, love for our beautiful state of Sabah,” Zainie said.
“One of the interesting things that has changed in Sabah, and also in the region as a whole, social media can not only set the narrative, social media is exceedingly powerful, especially the short videos.
Normally with political messaging, what you do is that you read the stuff that you like, and you sort of reinforce your views. Social media not only can help you to reinforce your views, but it has a subtle way of changing the way you look at issues.”
“I will give you a very blunt example. Two of our neighbours elected leaders that would not have been electable in normal circumstances. So, you look at the Philippines, Bong Bong Marcos was elected.
Who is the father? The father stole at least US$10 billion from the country. Yet he managed to win by packaging himself as completely clean. In fact, his margin of victory against his main opponent was the widest in Filipino history. Why? Because of Facebook.”
Prof. Chin went to talk about the Indonesian President Probowo who was indicted by the United States on “nasty” excesses committed in East Timor when he was the head of the Special Forces in the past, and whose image was transformed by social media outreach as a “dancing grandfather figure” to win the Indonesian presidency.
“Will this happen to Malaysia? Yes. The next federal election which must be held within the next two years’ time, I can guarantee you that all the political parties will be putting a lot of resources into social media.
And it is going to get worse,” he opined, adding that we are living in a new age, and things can change very fast with social media influence on young new voters.
“Anwar Ibrahim is not trying to appease everyone. He is only trying to appease one segment of the population. He is trying to reverse the biggest group that can be reversed because of social media which are the new voters.”
Prof. Chin opined that Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim is chasing after these young voters that have reinforced PAS’ grip on political powers in West Malaysia since the last parliamentary and state elections there.
He said he could show clear statistical proof that many of the young voters supported PAS.
