JOHOR BAHRU, June 28 — On the second day of campaigning for the Johor state election, the main parties, particularly Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH), adopted similar strategies by intensifying grassroots campaigning through direct engagement with voters in their constituencies.
Observations of campaign schedules and candidates’ social media posts showed that walkabouts at public markets, farmers’ markets, coffee shops, restaurants and residential areas featured prominently, instead of large-scale ceramah or mega campaign events.
For PH, candidates in several constituencies, including Parit Raja, Kota Iskandar, Maharani, Kemelah, Endau and Tenang, began their campaigning with walkabouts at markets and community centres.
House-to-house visits also featured prominently in the campaign schedules of many candidates, including visits to senior citizens, patients and community leaders.
BN adopted a similar approach. For instance, its Kempas candidate Datuk Ramlee Bohani started his campaigning by visiting the Taman Dahlia market to meet traders and visitors.
PH’s Machap candidate Nur Hafiz Roslan chose to have breakfast at a local coffee shop in Simpang Renggam while mingling with residents. Nur Hafiz is facing BN candidate and Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi in the Machap contest.
In Larkin, BN candidate Mohd Hairi Mad Shah spent the first day of campaigning meeting party machinery, making house-to-house visits before concluding the day with the Gelombang Biru programme, which was also attended by Onn Hafiz.
Interestingly, the first two days of campaigning have yet to see aggressive political rhetoric between the parties. Instead, most activities have focused on introducing candidates, strengthening party machinery, building community ties and enhancing candidates’ presence on the ground.
In urban constituencies such as Permas, Kota Iskandar and Larkin, candidates concentrated on markets, restaurants, commercial areas and multi-ethnic community centres, while in semi-urban and rural constituencies such as Endau, Kemelah, Machap, Maharani and Senggarang, activities were largely centred on villages and community venues.
Efforts to engage young voters have also begun to emerge, with several PH candidates incorporating futsal, sepak takraw and Mobile Legends competitions, as well as casual sessions with youths, into their campaign schedules. BN, meanwhile, appeared to focus on strengthening its party machinery and deploying state leaders to boost supporters’ morale in key constituencies.
Political analysts believe the approach adopted by the contesting parties reflects the reality that conventional campaigning remains relevant in Malaysia’s political landscape despite the growing use of social media.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities director Associate Professor Dr Mazlan Ali said different groups of voters received information differently, with urban voters more easily reached through digital platforms, while rural voters continued to place greater importance on face-to-face interaction.
“Voters come from different backgrounds. In urban areas, they can obtain information through social media, but in rural areas, especially in more remote locations, candidates need to meet voters personally because face-to-face interaction remains very important,” he said.
He said the approach was also crucial in reaching target groups such as the B40, FELDA settlers, the Indian community in estates and small traders, who generally valued the physical presence of candidates more than online campaigning.
“They want to see the candidates in person, shake hands with them and hear what they intend to do for them. Unlike the M40 or T20 groups, who may pay more attention to manifestos and policies, these groups place greater value on the candidates’ physical presence.
“People feel more appreciated when candidates come to meet them personally. There is a difference between seeing a candidate on a mobile phone and shaking hands and speaking to them face to face,” he said.
Polling is on July 11, with early voting set for July 7.
