The social media and YouTube election due to Covid-19

KUCHING: With face-to-face campaigning highly limited during this state election due to Covid-19 concerns, many Sarawakians have turned to social media to learn what their candidates are up to.

While some have made up their minds on who they will vote for today, there are those who have been monitoring online campaigns by election hopefuls to get a better idea of who they are.

Miri lad Arif Abd Rahman is a consultant based in Kuala Lumpur, but will be casting his vote in the Pujut constituency where he is registered.

“Because of the new norm where physical campaigns are limited, it is hard to get to know the candidates.

“So, I have been looking up online news articles and social media posts of the five candidates in the Pujut seat to assess which of them has the best to offer,” said the 32-year-old.

He added that he observed some candidates had a good social media presence, while there were those who were almost invisible online.

“After a bit of research, I believe I have a good idea who to vote for.

“You can somewhat judge if your candidate is genuine and know what they stand for if they have some online presence, but it’s tough for those who are unknown,” Arif said.

For 30-year-old Ryan Belulok, this state election will be the first time he is voting.

The design architect said he had been viewing social media posts and YouTube videos to get a good insight into those contesting in his area.

“Since it is my first time, I will choose someone who has a manifesto I agree with the most,” he said.

Although he feels politics of late can be disenchanting, Ryan, who will be voting in Batu Kawah, said he believed it was important to vote as part of his duty and responsibility as a citizen.

Quantity surveyor Edna Safawi, 39, meanwhile, is clear on who she will vote for.

However, the Kuchingite still makes it a point to look up what the other candidates have to offer based on their online posts.

“I vote in the Tupong constituency where my hometown is and I flew over from Petaling Jaya for the election.

“Even though I have to travel far to vote, I know the importance of doing so, because every vote matters,” she said.

Meanwhile, disillusionment and fatigue towards current politics has caused some eligible voters to stay out.

“There won’t be much difference if I voted. None of the politicians give me much reason to elect them,” said a 30-year-old voter in the Lambir seat, who wished to be known only as Michael.

Campaigning for the 12th Sarawak election officially started on Dec 6 after the nomination process and it ended at 11.59pm last night.

There are 1,252,014 eligible voters in this election, with 349 candidates vying for 82 seats in the Sarawak legislative assembly.