PETALING JAYA, March 16 – The cyber space, which has become the ‘home’ for various social media applications and blogs, represents the major platform to ensure victory for the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the 13th general election (GE13), said BN Youth head Khairy Jamaluddin(Pic).
As such, Khairy, who is also Umno Youth head, said the BN Youth movement must be prepared to fight all slanderous information and lies spread by the opposition in the cyber space which had become the main source of information for the young generation currently.
“More than 80 per cent of the approximately three million new voters are the young generation aged below 40. Besides the mainstream media, this group obtained their information from the social media and blogs as well as various other cyber applications.
“Previously in the 2004 and 2008 general elections, the cyber space provided an alternative in the dissemination of information, but in the GE13, it will be the main medium to ensure victory for the BN,” he said when launching the BN Youth Assembly of Cyber Activists at Mutiara Damansara, Damansara, here today.
Also present were Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, who is also MCA Youth head, and People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Youth head, Harridz Mohan, at the event attended by more than 3,000 people. Khairy said the BN Youth used accurate and correct information as its weapon in fighting the slanderous information spread by the opposition in cyber space.
“We should never sink to their level by spreading slanderous information to fight the opposition. We must ensure that our arguments are sharp and our campaign reaches all strata of society.
“The planned deception adopted by the opposition will overcome the truth if the truth that we wish to convey is not well organised. The war in cyber space is like the ‘away game’ in football which we feel is a better victory compared to the ‘home game’,” he said.
He said the opposition had the advantage in cyber space because they could spread slanderous information at will as there was no counter-check against what they posted unlike the conditions that must be complied with in the mainstream media.
“That’s why the opposition cannot influence the mainstream media because the mainstream media will never compromise on slander and lies. In the cyber space, on the other hand, anyone can spread lies and slander without identifying themselves,” he said.
Khairy said efforts to fight the opposition must be made continuously and further strengthened especially when reaching the ‘finishing line’ in GE13.
BERNAMA
