MELAKA: Melaka Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh said candidates must be prepared for personal attacks ahead of the election.
He said he was among the first to be targeted, with old issues concerning his personal life recently circulating on social media.
He urged party machinery to help defend BN candidates and leaders through social media.
"I am certain that Datuk Mohd Noor Helmy Abdul Halem will be targeted next. They have failed to find fault with our administration of the state, so they will look for issues that lead to personal insults.
"We defend our candidates and leaders, and we attack them back," he said when launching the BN election machinery for the Kota Melaka parliamentary constituency in Alai.
Rauf said the party's preparations must cover ground operations and active engagement on social media to ensure accurate information reached the public.
He said the widespread use of mobile phones in daily life had made digital platforms an important battleground during elections.
"Get on social media, respond, fight back and attack. Use technology to defend our leaders and party," he said.
Rauf said BN would strengthen its campaign through Jalinan Rakyat Digital to complement face-to-face engagement with voters.
The implementation details would be explained to party machinery to make voter outreach more effective, he added.
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