Umno targets social media to keep party afloat ‎

Kamles Kumar Kamles Kumar Updated 5 years ago · Published on 20 Jun 2018 11:00AM · 5 Comments

Umno Supreme Council candidate Lokman Noor Adam says he does not intend to let Pakatan Harapan 'stand for more than a year'. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, June 20, 2018.

UMNO is borrowing from the Pakatan Harapan playbook to recapture power.

It wants to use social media platforms in a big way to keep the new government honest, and in doing so, keep Umno relevant among Malaysians.

The backbone of this social media strategy is the “unit komunikasi strategik”, which has been actively issuing statements against Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the Finance Ministry, and PH as a whole in the absence of individual party voices.

The only other person who has been consistently issuing statements on social media to counter PH claims is former prime minister Najib Razak.

The “strategic communications unit” comprises several party Supreme Council leaders, including interim president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The unit wants to take full advantage of social media, like PH did before GE14, to ensure that Umno remains relevant, said unit member Lokman Noor Adam.

“We are going to say the right things and use the mechanism they used to topple us. We are going to use all the technologies that some of our leaders had failed to leverage on before this.

“Now they realise how technology can play a role and can also ensure you have a different result. We are going to be a very strong opposition,” he told The Malaysian Insight in an interview.

Statements the unit churns out are not only sent to traditional and online media, but are also disseminated through Facebook and WhatsApp.

Lokman, who was formerly Najib’s aide in the Finance Ministry, said the unit would be driven by facts, and would not employ empty rhetoric or slander as Umno cybertroopers had done in the past.

“We are going to do the same thing PH did, but in a totally different manner. No more slander and no more saying things without facts and figures.

“We will just remind the government of the day of what they have promised the people. We will be a check and balance whenever they go against principles.”

Lokman, who is running for Umno’s Supreme Council, said Umno’s members needed a complete shift of mindset.

“Umno’s approach is now different. Last time, we were service-oriented; we could also be considered action-oriented, since we were in government.

“We are no longer in power, so we need to be issues-oriented, like what the opposition did.”

The former PKR man also said he knew PH’s workings, and it would be easier for Umno to defeat them in a matter of years.

“If we push them hard enough, they won’t even stand for a year. My target is to make sure they don’t stand for more than a year. I don’t plan to fight them for five years.” – June 20, 2018.

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Comments

  • Predictably regaining power is really all they are interested in, their true and only goal. It's back to the same old same old after that.

    Posted 5 years ago by Xuz ZG · Reply

  • "Stragetic Communication Unit"??? LOL. Its Sabotage Unit. The descendent of "pencuri lampu ajaib" still in denial - maybe he does not even know his own origin. HE STILL DO NOT GET IT. STILL THINKING WHAT HAPPENED WAS JUST MISTAKES. He seriously think he can do better with social media that the well paid cybertroopers cannot? LOL...

    Posted 5 years ago by Bigjoe Lam · Reply

  • Wrong strategy before and in the hereafter. If your intentions are tainted and stinks, no amount of propaganda and social media targeting will win you support. Clueless? That's why you guys are batted out of the outfields.

    Posted 5 years ago by Shovel Nose · Reply

  • This fellow is so naive. How can UMNO Baru soar when it is surrounded by turkeys?

    Posted 5 years ago by Henry Mancini Jr · Reply

  • My God, called himself the Head of Strategic Communication Unit when all he knows is uttering rubbish, worse still, borrowing strategy of your opponent and try to outsmart them! How naive can he be! Have no bloody idea how fast the pace in social media ! With this sort of character in UMNO, no wonder it’s hopeless to rejuvenate the party. Keep it up Lokman! You can be the next Najib ...... to further destroy UMNO!

    Posted 5 years ago by KH Chan · Reply