malaysiakini logo
story-image
mk-logo
Columns
#UndiRosak - do's and don'ts in responding
ADS

Some in Pakatan Harapan are concerned about the impact of the #UndiRosak movement.

This is understandable, given that #UndiRosak supporters as well as voters who might be inclined not to vote in this general election likely consist more of people who used to vote for the opposition than people who used to vote for BN.

It remains to be seen whether this movement will have a significant electoral impact or not. But in any case, perhaps we can assess some of the ways Pakatan Harapan has attempted to address #UndiRosak.

The first ‘don’t' is quite obvious: Don’t scold voters and don’t deride them.

A Pakatan Harapan assemblyperson released a video saying “Only spoiled people spoil their votes” and “even Bangladeshis vote.”

It is a good sign I suppose that the video was eventually taken down, but had a good policy regarding non-supporters been internalised, it would never have gone up in the first place.

Harapan leaders should also go all out, both publicly and in private, to rein in all their supporters who are viciously attacking #UndiRosak supporters, in cyberspace and elsewhere.

It goes without saying that scolding or deriding voters only serves to alienate them more, and will almost certainly result in lost votes...

Unlocking Article
Unlocking Article
View Comments