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Amy Chew

It was an epic fail.
Supporters of Malaysia’s scandal-struck Prime Minister Najib Razak thought they were doing him a favour by inventing the #RespectMyPM hashtag.
The ensuing mockery soon rocketed the hashtag to the top of the country’s trending charts, and spawned a scathing response: #SuspectMyPM.
“#RespectMyPm Because nobody in this world received a bigger political donation in their personal bank account than him. NOBODY!,” tweeted @bonkersz
“I can’t find a good reason to #RespectmyPM but I hv many reasons to #SuspectMyPM,” wrote @ngszehan, as part of a common refrain.
Najib is battling corruption allegations surrounding the controversial state investment firm, 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), of which he is chairs the advisory board. His image has been further tainted by revelations that he received a US$680 million “political donation” from Saudi Arabia that was deposited in his personal bank account.
Najib has denied using the funds for personal purposes and the Attorney General’s office cleared him of all wrongdoing in January.
“Social media amplifies the current sentiment that is already prevalent. Everyone will have their opinion,” said social media user, Raja Ahmad Iskandar Fareez.
“The intention of those who pushed for the [#RespectMyPM] campaign was to demonstrate that Prime Minister Najib has support but they neglected the fact that social media cannot be controlled.
“They (government) can’t curate the content to fit their agenda. They (government) did want it to be viral, but not in the way it is now,” said Raja Ahmad.
“We see it as pretentious, something that may not reflect the ground sentiment so we jump on the bandwagon and make it ours.”
According to project manager Lee Ee May, respect has to be earned.
“It’s so obvious that it is a government propaganda move and for young people, respect has to be earned. So the whole hashtag has become a laughing stock because it is intended to force people to respect the Prime Minister when people obviously don’t have any for him,” said 28-year-old Lee.
“So they turn it into an ironic and sarcastic game instead. It is a way of ridiculing the Prime Minister.”
Local press reported that the #RespectMyPM campaign to garner support for Najib kicked off a few weeks ago. It only came under the spotlight last Friday after former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad gathered a coalition of opposition politicians, NGOs and social activists to sign a “citizens’ declaration” calling for Najib to step down.
A Facebook page called Pertahan Negara Kita (Defend Our Country), responded by calling on Malaysians to rally behind Najib.
“The internet has always been a space where Malaysians feel they can express themselves without the usual restrictions on liberties,” said civil liberties lawyer, Syahredzan Johan.
“The government now realises that freedom on the internet is damaging, so they are trying to control information on the internet.
“That is why we are seeing state action such as new legislations and the blocking of websites.”
The government blocked the popular Malaysian Insider news website on February 25 over its bold reporting on 1MDB, a move which drew rebuke from the US government.
Last July, another publication, The Edge, was also suspended for its reporting on 1MDB. A High Court judge lifted the suspension in September 2015.
“Social media is the next step in the “democratisation” of information,” Syahredzan said.


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Malaysia 1MDB scandal

Twitter humiliation for Malaysia’s Najib Razak, as ‘RespectMyPM’ morphs into ‘SuspectMyPM’

An image shared by Twitter users as part of the #SuspectMyPM campaign, a satirical take on the #RespectMyPM campaign that was intended to garner support for Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak but which backfired in spectacular fashion. Photo: Twitter

epa05193645 Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad reads an anti-Prime Minister Najib Razak declaration during a media conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 04 March 2016. Mahathir Mohamad and several opposition members signed a declaration to oppose Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. EPA/AHMAD YUSNI

Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak arrives for a news conference at a mosque outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in this July 5, 2015 file photo. Deposits into Najib's bank accounts ran to hundreds of millions of dollars more than previously identified by probes into state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, the Wall Street Journal reported on February 29, 2016. REUTERS/Olivia Harris/Files

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