Call For BN To Use New Campaign Strategy

JOHOR BAHARU, March 15 (Bernama) -- The three candidates eyeing for the post of Umno Youth chief have called for the Barisan Nasional (BN) machinery to employ new campaign strategies during next month's by-elections.
They also say ministers and deputy ministries should spend less time at the constituencies -- Bukit Gantang (Perak), Bukit Selambau (Kedah) and Batang Ai (Sarawak) -- during the campaign period.
Khairy Jamaluddin, Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo and Datuk Mukhriz Tun Mahathir were here today at the programme to introduce the Umno Youth contestants in movement's polls next week.
BN will be banking on Ismail Safian in the Bukit Ganting by-election, Datuk S. Ganesan in Bukit Selambau and Malcolm Mussen Lamoh in Batang Ai. All three by-elections will be held simultenously on April 7.
Khairy said the by-elections were the most accurate stage for BN to bring back its glory.
"I am extremely confident that the BN candidates for the three by-elections can draw the voters back to the coalition because they are local boys; so the issue of having outsiders standing in the polls which we had in the 12th general election will not crop up," he said.
He said BN had made the right choice on its candidates and taken into consideration local views but that alone would not guarantee victory.
The campaign should be more aggressive in approaching the voters especially fence-sitters but the presence of ministers and deputy ministers would disrupt the house-to-house visits, he said.
The reason was when a minister came, the election machinery would be busy giving him a proper welcome and so on, he said. The BN leadership should think about this, he added.
Dr Khir agreed and said that if ministers and deputy ministers wanted to help, they should come at night and assist in the house-to-house campaign.
He said the strategies used by BN in previous elections had been proven unacceptable to the local community and fence-sitters. So, a new approach was needed to ensure victories, he said.
"Sometimes, a minister's presence is a distraction, causing the machinery to halt. It is better for them to come at night," he said.
Mukhriz added that BN would have an advantage if the machinery had already been mobilised since their opponents had yet to announce their candidates.


tunku : like najib said, no more instant noodle projects.whenever there is by election, the town is so busy with projects.what is important now is to get the voters and explain to them what is bn fighting for and able to answer to some of their allegations.make them understand the real fact.tell them if bn wins what bn got to offer them.the machinery should start now, we don't have to wait as the candidate is made known already.all the bn leaders should join hands and go from house to house campaign.we don't want to see mca targeting chinese, mca with the indians and umno with the malays.it should be together from now on.same goes for batang ai. all the bn components in sarawak should join together and campaign, not only prs or pbb or supp separately.