By Teo Cheng Wee
Foreign Correspondent
chengwee@sph.com.sg

 

IN KUALA LUMPUR
 
MALAYSIAN politicians, some of whom have whole-heartedly embraced the culture of blogs and Facebook to further their cause, have recently gotten busy on Twitter as well.
 
Before Parliament reconvened on Monday, opposition MP Lim Kit Siang said he planned to Twitter from inside and invited other MPs to join him in making history.
 
As luck would have it, there was no better place to unleash this new weapon of communication.
 
Twitter is a free service that allows people to broadcast to others via the Net with messages no longer than 140 characters. Think of it as SMS blasts to your friends.
 
The session got off to a fiery start when newly elected opposition MP Nizar Jamaluddin was ejected for putting on a black songkok with with the words "Bubar DUN" (dissolve the state assembly) and shouting "Long live the people" and "Dissolve the Perak assembly".
 
Datuk Seri Nizar was the former menteri besar of Perak before Barisan Nasional (BN) seized power there through defections from Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
 
Mr Lim swiftly swung into action, sending four tweets in quick succession:
10.11: pandemonium in hse nizar ordered out of house by speaker
10.12: 2 other pr mps ordered out of house
10.16: speaker orders pas mp out 4 wearing headband "bubar dun"
10.29: Speaker said where in nation's history an MP taking oath shouted "Bubar Dun" I asked where in nation's history illegal power grab in Perak?
 
But in between, he was countered by BN MP and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, who sent four tweets in as many minutes with his own version of events.
 
10.18: Opposition MPs defy speaker by insisting on wearing "Bubar DUN" headbands. Speaker warns but ignored, several opp MPs asked to leave.
10.19: Childish, unproductive and a mockery of Parliament.
10.20: Speaker gets things undercontrol. But I was stunned by the childish display. Speaker nicely asked them to remove their headbands but ignored
10.21: Everything started when Nizar ex-MB started shouting "Hidup, hidup" after being sworn in. Grandstanding for the TV cameras. Sigh. Poser.
 
They were among the four MPs tweeting furiously on Tuesday — the other two being opposition MPs Jeff Ooi and Tony Pua.
 
While most of them were updates on the motions being debated, later in the day, Mr Khairy couldn't resist taking a dig at Mr Ooi's frequent updates.
 
"Wishes (Jeff Ooi) would debate issues in the chamber & not just tweet. He's always very quiet in the Dewan," he wrote.
 
Much has been made about how Malaysians get their news and form their opinions from online sources rather than the mainstream media, which is why many politicians started their own blogs.
 
This latest avenue, on the other hand, seems like it will allow politicians to play journalist and write their own version of breaking news as well.
 
If Parliament is anything to go by, it also allows them to react, respond and rebut other tweets if they have to.
 
And it gives them a chance to show their more personal side — which is why celebrities are using Twitter to hook their fans — Mr Khairy occasionally tweeted on Monday about fretting over his mismatched clothes in Parliament.
 
For the discerning Malaysian, it could mean more sifting and digesting of yet another bunch of "news sources".
 
Twitter's use here is still evolving. But it could be another useful tool in the arsenal of the politicians in getting their messages out.
 
For now — as it was with blogs and the alternative media — the opposition seems to have cottoned on to it more quickly. Mr Khairy is the lone active voice for BN.
 
But the ruling party may want to learn fast. Already Mr Lim has 2,000 followers on Twitter, way ahead of Mr Khairy and Mr Ooi (800 each), and Mr Pua (500).
 
They will also need to use it in the spirit that most Twitterers do.
 
Prime Minister Najib, for instance, has a Twitter account. He actually has a whopping 1,800 followers as well.
 
But on most days, his entries appear uninteresting, along the lines of this entry on Tuesday: "3pm: Meetings".