بكس لسكر سيبير بن دده باڬايمانا دي بنتو چتوس كتڬڠن قوم دان بريتا ڤلسو ترهادڤ دڤ سجق 2013
On the 9th of May 2018, as Malaysia geared up for the 14th general election, a blogger came out to reveal how she helped construct racial tensions and amplified fake news against the DAP to undermine all forms of opposition during the administration of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Enter Syarul Ema Rena Abu Samah, a relatively minor blogger who suddenly sprang into the limelight after Barisan Nasional roped her in to help with online strategy, months ahead of the 13th general election.
According to a report, Ema faked a quote from Theresa Kok who was charged with sedition in 2014 for allegedly making jokes about Malaysia being an unsafe place to live.
In Ema’s post, Kok is seen saying she saw nothing wrong with offending Malays—which, of course, is not what Kok said.
Her account tallies with those of others who spoke to an online portal that reported the affair. Everyone seemed to agree that they were given a basic direction by the party, but that their tactics were of their own devising.
“They call it ‘Black Ops’,” she says. “Cyberwar. Propaganda.”
PETALING JAYA: On the 9th of May 2018, as Malaysia geared up for the 14th general election, a blogger came out to reveal how she helped construct racial tensions and amplified fake news against the DAP to undermine all forms of opposition during the administration of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Enter Syarul Ema Rena Abu Samah, a relatively minor blogger who suddenly sprang into the limelight after Barisan Nasional roped her in to help with online strategy, months ahead of the 13th general election.
As the story goes, Ema built an impressive network of 80 cybertroopers who ran thousands of fake social media accounts that created and amplified falsehoods to undermine opposition to the government.
Using these accounts, her team would work to delegitimise Barisan Nasional’s political opponents by making up stories told by fake ‘supporters’ to drive anger against the main opposition parties.
Some of these stories were racist, and most seemed to be targeted at the DAP.
“We would take names and pictures from [social media accounts in] Indonesia or the Philippines and make a fake account, acting like an opposition supporter.
“We’d come up with racist statements… then we’d print screen and spread it everywhere,” she revealed during an interview at her lawyer’s office in Kuala Lumpur.
If a major story broke that would damage the government, her network would create a distraction.
“If an issue like [a major corruption scandal] comes up, people get angry. But you throw out an issue like: ‘this Chinese fella mocks our people’, they will focus on that.”
Sometimes they targeted politicians.
According to a report, Ema faked a quote from Theresa Kok who was charged with sedition in 2014 for allegedly making jokes about Malaysia being an unsafe place to live.
In Ema’s post, Kok is seen saying she saw nothing wrong with offending Malays—which, of course, is not what Kok said.
Ema’s crowning achievement came later in 2014 when she was called in to firefight during a by-election in Teluk Intan, a constituency where the racial mix, and hence the electoral algebra, was finely balanced.
The ethnically Chinese population was expected to vote for the DAP, Malay voters would turn out for Barisan Nasional, so both sides looked to the Indian minority to swing the result.
Twenty-four hours before polling stations opened, a video began to circulate on WhatsApp.
It began with footage of a scuffle in the street, then cut to an Indian member of Barisan Nasional giving an angry piece-to-camera, alleging that he had been assaulted by a DAP activist who had insulted his mother and religion.
It was a lie, entirely masterminded by Ema.
“I gave him a script,” she said. “I asked him to say: ‘if you love your religion, you need to go and vote for Barisan Nasional and make sure that the DAP loses’.” The DAP lost the seat by 500 votes.
All of this was done with the tacit blessing of the government, she claims.
According to her, she was kept at arm’s length, an independent consultant running her own team of volunteers who were tasked with solving problems.
Her account tallies with those of others who spoke to an online portal that reported the affair. Everyone seemed to agree that they were given a basic direction by the party, but that their tactics were of their own devising.
“They call it ‘Black Ops’,” she says. “Cyberwar. Propaganda.”
THE THIRD FORCE
NOTA: SAYA MEMBUAT PENGUMUMAN-PENGUMUMAN PENTING DARI MASA KE SEMASA EKSKLUSIF MENERUSI SALURAN TELEGRAM BERIKUT:
