Feeling good, anybody?

Malaysia’s improved economic growth last year, with its Gross Domestic Product chalking 5.2 per cent makes the front page headlines in at least three mainstream dailies: the NST, The Star and Utusan Malaysia. The NST flashes a banner headline, “Malaysia’s red-hot recovery”; The Star proclaims “Robust growth”; while UM declares, “Malaysia catat KDNK 5.2% tahun lalu – Zeti”. These results were announced by Bank Negara.

Under normal circumstance, this economic achievement can be considered “good news”. But seen in the larger context of the coming general election, such front-page coverage appears to be aimed at injecting the “feel good” factor into the voters' psyche. It would seem that the newspapers concened are hoping that Malaysians would be appreciative of the BN's “good work” in the economy when they go to the polls.



Flag wars revisited

If yesterday’s war of flags as reported in The Star was not reflected in the photo the paper chose to use, the page one photo in today’s Utusan Malaysia implies that there is an intense contest between the BN and Pas in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. At least, Utusan is showing a few opposition (PAS) flags (albeit in the background and not very prominent). Just a thought: has the Election Commission approved the display of party symbols ahead of the official election campaign? Or is it as toothless as usual?




Injecting the BN's dacing into your brain

As for that great "people's paper", The Star, it appears to be making no secret about its political preference. In fact, through the photos on page 1 and 4, the reader gets the sense that the daily, which is controlled by the MCA, is indeed going all out to promote the BN and the MCA.

The Star and some other BN-controlled newspapers are obviously using every opportunity they can get to bombard readers with the BN logo - whether subtly or not-so-subtly. As the elections draw closer, we can also expect the TV stations to join in the act by flashing the BN logos prominently behind the newscasters every now and then as they used to do in previously election campaigns.

Advertisers often bombard consumers with their brand names and logos at every opportunity they can get. This is usually done to promote brand recognition even at the subconscious level, so that the next time a consumer is at a shopping mall, s/he would subconsciously and instinctively reach out for the brand that seems the most familiar.

The Malaysian media has become adept at promoting this sort of subconscious brand recognition (in this case, through the constant projection of the BN logo). Malaysian newspaper readers and TV viewers should be aware of the fact that they are being bombarded with such images of the BN dacing to influence their choice on polling day. Will some voters put a cross against the BN logo simply because that logo has become so ingrained in their subconscious, much like a consumer in the supermarket going for a product on the shelf that seems familiar?



T'is the season to "tell the truth”

A report in the “Elections 2004” section of today’s NST on page 4 catches the eye: “Ruslan to tell all about Keadilan”. Former Negri Sembilan state Keadilan chief Ruslan Kassim, who has returned to UMNO's embrace has vowed to "tell the truth” about his former party. He would do that, wouldn’t he? But the question is, will the paper get a response from his former colleagues in Keadilan?