Malaysia state polls: could TikTok domination give Perikatan Nasional the edge?

TikTok, used by an estimated half of Malaysians, is a connection point in the Malay heartlands to culture wars and criticism of Anwar’s government

Experts say Anwar could be in for a bruising at the polls if the opposition wins the social media battle, with PH’s strategy criticised as ‘all over the place’

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Supporters of Perikatan Nasional march in Gombak, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in July. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 5:30pm, 10 Aug 2023

Malaysia’s opposition appears to be winning the social media battle ahead of Saturday’s crunch state elections with paid-for YouTube and Facebook content and live TikTok videos partly replacing door-to-door canvassing, a contrast to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s anaemic efforts to reach voters over the internet.

The polls, contested in six of Malaysia’s 13 states – including the industrial powerhouses of Selangor and Penang held by Pakatan Harapan (PH) – are widely seen as a barometer of support for Anwar’s eight-month-old administration.

Critics say Anwar’s administration has lost its fizz, bogged down by a sluggish economy, fissures in his coalition and a resurgent Perikatan Nasional (PN) opposition – including the Islamist PAS party – which has leapt on culture wars and accuses the government of failing the country’s Malay majority population.

PN’s dominance on TikTok, a platform used by an estimated half of Malaysians, has even irked communications minister Fahmi Fadzil, who on Sunday accused the opposition of paying to inflate view counts.

On stage in the leafy upmarket neighbourhood of Bukit Antarabangsa, Fahmi, who is campaigning for the government, told candidates not to be disheartened by the opposition’s winning social media strategy – particularly TikTok.

“When we look at TikTok, if Papagomo or Sanusi has tens of thousands of views, these views can be acquired by anyone who wants to spend the money,” said Fahmi, mentioning two top opposition figures. “They are lying with their view counts.”

His comments came after a live TikTok session featuring the enigmatic chief minister of the northwestern Kedah state, Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, and political commentator Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris – popularly known as Papagomo – garnered more than 62,000 views on the platform, a number that PH is struggling to match.

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