INTERACTIVE: More Malaysians are voicing political views online since the pandemic
PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are becoming more passionate about politics, with more speaking up online since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Experts said more people were feeling concerned about the current issues affecting them, while social media has allowed them to easily share their views.

The growing trend was also due to Malaysians spending more time on such platforms, especially during the movement control order (MCO) when most were confined to their homes.

Some 43.7% of people in the country posted online or voted on civic and political issues in blogs, social networks and websites last year.

It’s a spike from 12.9% in 2018 – an increase of 30.8 percentage points.

Such numbers are according to the ICT Use and Access by Individuals and Households Survey (ICTHS) reports by the Statistics Department.

The numbers saw a particularly big jump in 2020, the year when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

On March 18 that year, the MCO was imposed, which saw the country under a nationwide lockdown.

All states, except Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur and Perlis, recorded higher percentages of online users voicing their political views from 2020 to 2021.

The place with the largest spike from 2020 to 2021 was Labuan, where the percentage of users that spoke up online rose from 7.8% to 49.4%.

Louder voices

Experts believe the lockdown during the pandemic meant people had more time to go online and share their thoughts.

“During the pandemic, people were confined to their homes and had a lot more time to spend on social media,” said International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) political analyst Prof Datuk Seri Dr Syed Arabi Idid.

From his experience, he said the response rate for online surveys at that time also improved a lot, and people were very willing to answer.

“Post-pandemic, the response rate is relatively low,” he said.

Similarly, National Professors Council member and political analyst Prof Dr Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmod said people used the Internet more than usual as they could not go out to work or play.

“In the same year (2020), a political crisis also happened which led to a change in government.

“People then found the Internet as the best place for them to vent their feelings about the situation,” he said.

In 2020, Malaysia saw a change in government, triggered by the “Sheraton Move” which brought down the Pakatan Harapan administration.

A few weeks later, the rising Covid-19 cases led to the nationwide lockdown.

Who was the most expressive?

Among the states, Terengganu was the “most vocal” in Malaysia, with 72.3% of users there expressing their political views online last year.

This is followed by Selangor with 62.1% and Melaka with 58.2%.

Of all the age groups, those in their 40s were the most expressive online about political issues.

Last year, the top age group was aged between 45 and 49.

Some 53.8% of people in this category voiced their opinions on the Internet, scoring the highest percentage compared with other age groups.

In 2022, the most active group online was aged 40 to 44, with 56.7% expressing their views.

On why those in their 40s were the most active online, IIUM’s Prof Syed Arabi said people in this age group were likely to be educated, married and paying taxes.

As such, they have a lot at stake.

“These people are possibly the most affected by government programmes and policies.

“They have to support their families and would be concerned about their children’s education while caring for their career and job security,” he said.

Between genders, men were consistently more dominant than women in posting about political issues online from 2018 to 2023.

Female users only overtook men in 2021.

Moving with the times

The overall increase in people voicing their opinions online could also be a natural progression due to technology.

From talking in the coffee shop, more have moved on to chatting online about politics, said Prof Nik Ahmad Kamal.

“Since the Reformasi years (since 1998), online political chatter has become increasingly popular in this country.

“Now that people can use many social media platforms to express their opinions, political postings have become so common that everyone is joining the bandwagon.

“I don’t see it as a negative development, as people can now speak their minds about political issues.

“Unless the comments are seditious or against any law, participation in social media discussions isn’t harmful,” he said.

Prof Syed Arabi said the trend of people posting their views online was good as long as it was done with rational thought.

“Short and vulgar short comments are, however, bad and should not be accepted as reasoned opinions,” he said.

In his years of conducting public opinion research, Prof Syed Arabi said more Malaysians were now willing to talk about politics and knew which party was good for them.

“Privately, they can distinguish between honest and bad leaders, as well as those who are willing to work hard for the country.

“Most have formed this opinion by discussing it with friends, family members and getting input from both traditional and social media,” he said.

More were forthcoming with their thoughts on current issues as they felt these matters concerned them.

Various social media platforms have also made it easier to air their views, compared to the past when only traditional media like newspapers, radio and television were available.

When it crosses the line

However, there are instances where online users took their words too far, using hate speech and breaching sensitivities.

In April, it was reported that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission received 1,454 complaints about race, religion and royalty (3R) issues in the first three months of this year alone.

Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said it was a significant increase compared with 2023 when a total of 1,633 were reported throughout the whole year.

Most or 50% of the total complaints so far this year were on religion.

On the increase in complaints involving 3R, Prof Nik Ahmad Kamal said this stemmed from the frustration felt by people while failing to see both sides to a situation.

“They were clouded by emotion and could not think rationally when expressing views irresponsibly.

“Such hate speech is because they were not able to differentiate between objectivity and subjectivity,” he added.

To achieve a good balance between freedom of expression and stopping hate speech, Prof Nik Ahmad Kamal said our current laws were enough to control any extreme views.

“What’s lacking is information on policies and decisions made by the government, which causes people’s frustrations with the system.

“This is why there should be a law on the freedom of information to allow people to access government documents and policies.

“Such a law will enable people to get more information and understanding on government decisions,” he said.

This will then help explain certain situations, decisions or events except those falling under the Official Secrets Act, he added.

Prof Syed Arabi said being too restrictive on discussions about 3R will not encourage a vibrant democracy.

“Perhaps there should be restrictions on questioning 3R policies, but not about the wrongdoings committed against race, religion and royalty,” he suggested.
Here's why more Malaysians are speaking their minds online about politics in Malaysia, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic.