ENGAGING THE PUBLIC: Social media helps politicians communicate with people better
KUALA LUMPUR 11 June 2012: SOCIAL media, in particular Facebook and Twitter, is an effective method to engage the people and understand their issues and concerns, apart from the turun padang (meet the public) programmes, said politicians yesterday.
This new method has also helped to further bridge the gap between the people, especially the younger generation, and their political leaders.
Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said he regarded social media as a fun and efficient tool to share and discuss ideas with the public.
He said that he managed his own Twitter account and updates it on a daily basis.
"Apart from posting about four to five tweets a day to inform the public on my work-related activities, I also respond and communicate with the people who pose questions regularly online.
"After using Twitter for more than four years, I am quite familiar with the commonly used lingo here. I sometimes use Internet acronyms, like LOL (Laugh Out Loud), OMG (Oh My God) and ROFL (Rolling On The Floor Laughing), depending on who I am tweeting to."
Besides communicating with his Twitter followers online, Saifuddin said he also mingles with them face to face by organising social gatherings from time to time.
"These meet-ups offer a golden opportunity for me to take a break from my busy schedule and talk to people from all walks of life.
"More often than not, many of those who attend these gatherings come to me with a lot of feedback and constructive criticism on important issues, such as higher education."
Since 2009, Saifuddin has organised five such gatherings, known as "Tweetups", with friends he made via social media.
Meanwhile, Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said he was more comfortable with Facebook to interact with Malaysians.
He said he actively used the online social networking site for work-related matters.
"Most of my Facebook friends comprise teachers, headmasters, party members, and students."
Puad said that Facebook was his social media of choice as it was a convenient platform for him to address the complaints and issues raised by people.
"Headmasters and teachers often send me photos if their schools are in a poor state so I can see for myself."
He said some teachers would also write to him directly on Facebook on various educational matters.
"I use my BlackBerry phone regularly to view these requests and attend to them in a timely manner."
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had, on Saturday, encouraged his ministers to explore social media in communicating with the youth.
Himself an avid twitterer who has amassed more than 650,000 followers, Najib said it was vital for leaders to have a strong grasp of the communication medium most popular among the younger generation.
The prime minister also recently reached one million friends on Facebook, a feat shared by other politicians.
Other prominent Barisan Nasional politicians who use social media include Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Umno youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and MCA youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong.
Wee said that social media was an effective tool for ministers to alert the relevant authorities regarding problems faced by the community.
"I, too, update my Twitter account on a daily basis, whether it is to express my opinions, raise concerns or discuss party and ministry issues," said Wee.
He added that the prime minister's advice was a timely one and hoped more BN leaders would follow suit.
By AKIL YUNUS AND ADRIAN LAI
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