Feedback from me (Sazli), first-time PSM volunteer on the ground for N.25 Kajang. As this is my first time volunteering on the ground, please forgive me if I seem to be out of touch or lacking in experience.

Campaign messages need to have some key differentiating factors, and given special emphasis very early on. For example, many common terms used in political campaign & manifesto (including the term “manifesto” itself!) have been hijacked and corrupted by some PN / PH / BN politicians in the past. So by now all manifestos look like the same “empty promises” to common folk, who already have been suffering from such political fatigue for years.

In our case, the differentiating factors I can see were:-

1. Local Candidate - Arul active in Kajang since 1991
2. Local Issues - Arul's past work and public engagements in Kajang since then, including in MPKj council, and how manifesto continues this proven track record (not just empty promises)
3. A viable alternative to the national-level political drama of PN vs PH-BN - we have no interest in it, so can focus much better in local issues, and represent local people's interests impartially.

The way campaign messages are disseminated to public also needs to be diversified, also very early on. Younger voters have bigger potential (in terms of numbers and also degree of openness to alternative/local politics), if they can be moved enough to go out to vote for us. The internet social media platforms are by far the best channels to reach them in a large scale. However, as with other political parties, official party social media posts may not resonate with them as they tend to see them as party propaganda. Instead, if perceived non-political actors or “influencers” pick up the same messages and post their own positive takes on them, it will resonate more, and has more potential to be “viral” (organically, not artificially). For example, build a team of PSM volunteers to augment/extend the official PSM social media team. Not merely sharing the official party posts, but rewrite them on their platforms and in their own languages and literary style, or even present them in another form (e.g. short film), to suit their respective community or audience.