Dato Wan Zain Syed Mohdzar
MIRI: The Barisan Nasional (BN) and the opposition front must practise and uphold prudent campaign ethics during the 14th general election (GE14).
Social activist Dato Wan Zain Syed Mohdzar said the campaigning – either through the typical means like going to the ground and meeting the constituents, or via social media – must not contain any element of defamation and those that would incite hatred.
“No matter what or how it (campaigning by typical means or via social media) is being used, it must be based on facts and valid arguments – none should touch sensitive issues that include racism, religion and regionalism, because these sensitive issues could divide society eventually and produce a lot of adverse effects,” he told The Borneo Post here yesterday.
On the execution of campaigns for GE14, Wan Zain said both the BN and opposition would have their own ways, but still within the same approaches.
“The normal campaigning would be used to reach out to the people in the suburbs and the interior areas, while social media like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter would target the netizens.”
In the context of Sarawak, however, Wan Zain opined that the focus would be the voters in the suburban and rural areas.
“Be it BN or the opposition, they should use people-friendly approaches and not be too emotional when campaigning outside the urban areas,” he added.