KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 — The 14-day official campaign period for the 15th general election (GE15) will kick off this Saturday as soon as the nomination procedures are completed.

But the campaigning, albeit unofficially, had started even before Parliament was dissolved on Oct 10, with most of the action taking place on social media where politicians and party workers are trying hard to garner the support of netizens.

Although social media campaigning seems to be more dominant these days, some experts say conventional or physical campaigning, such as going on the ground to meet the constituents, giving talks or ceramah and putting up party flags and posters, is still relevant and has the power to attract voters notably those sitting on the fence.

Whether done conventionally or digitally, the people behind the campaigns have only one aim, which is to captivate the hearts and minds of the 21,173,638 electors who are eligible to vote in GE15 on Nov 19.

Still relevant

Psychologist Associate Prof Dr Wan Marzuki Wan Jaafar is among the experts who feel that conventional campaigning still has a place in society.

According to him, door-to-door campaigning, community programmes and political ceramah still have what it takes to influence voters because face-to-face interactions often reveal a candidate’s true nature, that is, whether or not they are sincere and caring.

"The candidate may just be there to greet and say ‘hello’ to the constituents but the conventional platform is still the best way for the local community to get to know their candidates better. It’s also the ideal space for the candidates or their parties to clarify various issues.

"And once the local voters get to know their candidates’ wishes and agendas, they will know who to vote for during the election,” he said when contacted by Bernama recently.

He added that campaigning on the ground can help electors to evaluate their candidates’ personalities from all angles, that is, in terms of their speech, body language and manners, thus allowing them to assess the sincerity of the candidates.

Wan Marzuki, who is also the president of the Board of Counsellors Malaysia, pointed out that the excitement of a general election can only be felt when public areas are inundated with flags and posters of various political parties. In fact, the number of flags and posters put up by a party in an area is an indirect reflection of its "strength”.

"From the psychological angle, physical campaigning or poster and flag wars indeed have an indirect impact on displaying the strength of a leader or party.

"No party or candidate can ignore the flag war strategy and physical campaigning even though, currently, social media is seen as the platform of choice for election campaigns,” he said.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) senior lecturer in political science Dr Jamaie Hamil also agreed that political parties should not ignore the conventional platform, saying that it is the most effective medium for candidates, particularly those from opposition parties without access to mainstream media, to introduce themselves to the people and explain their manifestos.

"Although we have social media now, television is still the most viewed channel but it’s only available to the ruling coalition,” he said.

Conventional vs social media

Political analyst Dr Russli Kamarudin is, however, of the view that conventional campaigning is only relevant in situations involving rural and interior areas as well as senior citizens who are more comfortable with meeting the candidates face to face.

On-the-ground campaigning is also more suitable in remote places where people have limited access to Internet services and gadgets.

"Conventional campaigning also takes place in countries like the United States where during the presidential election campaigns it’s common for the candidates to participate in, among others, debates to express their stand (on various issues) and policies,” said Russli, a senior lecturer at UKM’s Research Centre for History, Politics and International Affairs.

However, he added, the more technology-savvy urban populations especially youths would find it easier to use social media to get the latest information on current political issues.

Universiti Putra Malaysia sociopolitical analyst Dr Syed Agil Alsagoff agreed, saying that political parties must step up their social media campaigning to win over voters, in particular the fence-sitters.

"For sure, the young voters of today will go to social media to seek out candidates best suited to representing their voice,” he said, adding that although some young voters are influenced by the choices of their parents and people close to them, social media still plays a dominant role in shaping their opinions.

Self-confessed fence-sitter Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman, 38, said both conventional and social media campaigns will be important in helping him to make a decision on which candidate to vote for.

"For people like me who are not aligned to any political party, physical campaigning like ceramah and community programmes will help us to be more confident when the time comes for us to make a choice.

"Social media, on the other hand, is a faster and simpler way for me to get more information about candidates and their parties,” he said.

Housewife Norazizi Abdullah, 57, said she finds physical campaigning more appealing as it allows her to get to know the personality of a candidate better as well as experience the excitement of an election. — Bernama