Barisan Nasional candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah warns parties that fail to adapt to digital campaigning risk becoming obsolete in the changing political landscape.
KLUANG: Political parties must adapt to the changing political landscape in the digital era and the rapid growth of social media platforms or risk being left behind and becoming “dinosaur parties”, said Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Syed Hussien Syed Abdullah.
The incumbent for Mahkota state assembly seat said the political landscape and campaign strategies had changed significantly from the past, when campaigning centred mainly on face-to-face engagements through house visits and community gatherings at coffee shops, suraus and mosques.
“Today, we have entered a digital political landscape. It is where a party’s survival rises and falls, where public perception of leaders is shaped, and where information, whether factual or defamatory, spreads rapidly.
“Any political party that fails to adapt to this digital environment will be regarded as a dinosaur party that cannot accept the changing times,” he told Bernama on the seventh day of campaigning while meeting residents around Kampung Tengah here today.
He therefore urged BN campaign machinery to make greater use of social media to disseminate information on the state government’s achievements and the party’s track record, while highlighting policies and initiatives that benefit the people.
Syed Hussien said social media is a crucial platform in shaping voters’ perceptions as it could spread information rapidly across state borders, but at the same time should not be used to attack or insult political opponents
“Politics based on insults and mudslinging no longer works. The people are becoming wiser in making their own judgments. We should tell them what BN has delivered,” he said.
He said the people in Kluang were generally satisfied with their quality of life, although there remained demand for employment opportunities offering higher wages.
Meanwhile, he said Kluang’s coffee industry, which has become synonymous with the district, holds significant potential to stimulate the local economy when combined with ecotourism and rural tourism products.
He said attractions such as traditional coffee shops, Gunung Lambak, UK Farm Agro Resort and modern agricultural areas had successfully drawn domestic and international visitors, particularly from Singapore and China, generating spillover benefits for coffee entrepreneurs, small traders and the district’s tourism sector.
Syed Hussien is involved in a three-cornered contest in the Johor state election against Pakatan Harapan candidate Dr Ahmad Zuhan Md Zain and Parti Bersama Malaysia candidate Abd Hamid Ali.
In the Mahkota by-election in September 2024, he secured a landslide victory with 27,995 votes and a majority of 20,648 against the Perikatan Nasional candidate, enabling BN to retain the seat.
Polling for the Johor state election will be held on July 11, with early voting scheduled for July 7.
For the latest updates on the 16th Johor state election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/johor/.
