ISKANDAR PUTERI: Barisan Nasional must be prepared to counter misinformation ahead of the Johor Election, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Barisan chairman said the way misinformation and lies are spread had changed.
"It now comes in the form of short videos, edited speeches, fake posters, anonymous (social media) accounts and words that appear to be true but are actually false.
"These lies are designed to destroy confidence, disrupt unity and confuse the people so they are angry and reject Barisan," he said at the launch of the coalition election machinery for the Johor Election at Educity Stadium here on Sunday (June 7).
He also urged the party machinery to respond quickly to any misinformation.
"Respond with facts, courtesy, data and our track record.
"Win the hearts and minds of the people across all social media platforms. This is our new battleground," he said.
Ahmad Zahid also said there was an overwhelming number of young people returning to Umno.
He said this exceeded expectations and many former Umno leaders who left now wanted to return and contribute to Barisan's election campaign.
"About 82% of the applications we have received are from youths," said the Umno president.
Ahmad Zahid said the strong involvement of young supporters reflected growing confidence in Barisan and would strengthen the coalition's machinery.
"We hope they will join us on the ground and campaign for our candidates. Many of them still have influence within their communities," he said.
Ahmad Zahid added that younger supporters could play an important role in reaching out to young voters.
The Johor state assembly was dissolved on June 1, paving the way for the 16th Johor Election.
The previous Johor elections held on March 12, 2022, saw Barisan win 40 out of 56 seats. Of the total, Umno won 33 seats, MCA secured four and MIC took three.
