Kota Kinabalu: Sabahans, including GRS members, have been urged to be vigilant and wary against opposition dirty tactics of deliberately fabricating issues to mislead the public in the lead-up to the 17th State Election (PRN17).
CM-cum-Gagasan Rakyat President Datuk Seri Hajiji said these challenges do not stem from a strong opposition or from our own weakness, but rather from the lies, falsehoods, fabricated stories and above all, slander that they must confront.
“PRN17 brings with it a thousand and one challenges, not because the opposition is strong or GRS is weak, but because we are facing a barrage of lies, fabrications, false stories, and above all, slander.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});“Nowadays, social media has become the most popular platform for spreading propaganda and misinformation, which the opposition is using to gain political mileage.
“Every day, they concoct false stories, viral misleading videos and fabricated infographics that are widely circulated, pushed by opposition to tarnish the GRS and manipulate public opinion for their political gain. This is how the opposition launches its attacks against us in the digital realm —and we must fight back with everything we’ve got!” he said.
“Not all the issues being sensationalised are true or credible! Many are concocted and manufactured with the sole intent of deceiving the public into believing them. Such tactics can lead to endless political unrest.
“Spreading slander and falsehood is the hallmark of dirty politics and we strongly condemn it. Let us not fall into the trap of such unscrupulous tactics.
“Not only are they morally and legally wrong, but any party that wins through dirty politics, slander and lies will not stand the test of time because eventually, the truth will be known,” he said.
Hajiji who is also GRS Chairman said this to send a strong and direct response to the many allegations and accusations hurled at GRS and its leaders with PRN17 just around the corner.
Despite ongoing criticism and attacks aimed at discrediting the government’s efforts, Hajiji said GRS’ track record of success cannot be denied.
“I know there are those who are jealous of our success. They want to see us fall apart, humiliated, and defeated. That is why they continue to make baseless accusations to deceive the people. They will never stop. They will relentlessly attack and belittle our hard work,” he said.
“Take good care of GRS. This is our home and it’s up to us to protect it, because this is where our struggle is anchored,” he said.