THEY used to earn tens of thousands a month, with some pulling in several million ringgit to slander Pakatan Harapan and trumpet the virtues of Barisan Nasional.
But on May 9, the gravy train stopped.
Now, the keyboards of the legion of cybertroopers who were on Umno’s payroll are largely untouched, after their political paymasters were thrown out of Putrajaya.
It is learnt that a number of these online activists were paid by the Special Affairs Department (Jasa) under the Prime Minister’s Office. Jasa has since been disbanded by the PH government.
Others were paid by businessmen connected to Najib Razak or other Umno leaders.
With their “masters” on the ropes, some of these armchair warriors are now attempting to cosy up to PH.
“But, there are still some who are being paid by their divisions or branches, or by a senior leader with deep pockets.”
Ever since social media became a powerful medium of information, Umno has aggressively gone out to court an army of cybertroopers.
In 2012, the party formally organised these online activists under its information technology bureau and new media unit. The bureau was headed by Pontian MP Ahmad Maslan. BN deputy strategic communications director Eric See-To also oversaw the social media operatives.
Another big name tied to the online activists was Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz, who was on Jasa’s panel of experts.
The cybertroopers’ mission was to explain BN’s policies, counter PH’s criticism and wage psychological warfare through the internet.
On November 4, Umno’s IT bureau held its biggest rally of cybertroopers at the Putra World Trade Centre, which attracted more than 3,500 people.
Although the party has never acknowledged paying these online activists, it is an open secret that they were amply compensated.
One cybertrooper said they were grouped into informal teams with coordinators who determined the issues or trends they wrote about, which were decided by senior Umno leaders.
The activist said they were paid according to a scale set by the IT bureau.
“Umno cybertroopers have gotten tens, and even hundreds, of thousands,” said former party blogger Syarul Ema Rena Abu Samah, also known as Ratu Naga, in an interview with Sinar Harian.
The payment depended on each activist’s specialty, with bloggers and website owners paid a different amount than a social media provocateur.
Now that the cash flow has stopped, Umno’s online mercenaries are giving up whatever territory they managed to carve out when the gravy train was going full steam ahead. – June 11, 2018.
Comments
Posted 5 years ago by Ken Toh · Reply
Posted 5 years ago by Insightful Malaysian · Reply
Posted 5 years ago by Da Hi · Reply
They hv no intergity doesn't care even if their reputation is at stake this what we cl joining party for own benefits .
Posted 5 years ago by Abdul Rahman Abdul Razak · Reply
Posted 5 years ago by Henry Mancini Jr · Reply
Reform-minded citizens have to exercise some critical thinking to avoid falling victims to such malicious campaign.
The best way citizens can help the current reforms to succeed is to judge the deeds of this nascent reformasi movement based on facts and rationale, not motivated by emotions and personalities. Support when it is doing right and oppose when it is doing wrong. The worst is to idolise leaders and praise and defend them uncritically.
Nation building is the responsibility of all citizens. Clean and competent leadership is no doubt absolutely essential, but without a well-informed and sensible electorate supporting an electoral democracy like ours, all efforts may come to naught.
Posted 5 years ago by Kim quek · Reply
Posted 5 years ago by Malaysian First · Reply
Posted 5 years ago by Leslie Chan · Reply
Posted 5 years ago by Former Diplomat - NAZRUL IMRAN · Reply
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Posted 5 years ago by Richard Chapbell · Reply