Chow said Pakatan Harapan candidates will also need to put effort into reaching more voters during campaigning.
He said the low turnout at the ceramah in Penang Chinese Town Hall last night could also be due to the “new normal” of people preferring to follow such events virtually.
“We have Facebook Live of the ceramah, so maybe the reach is more online,” he said.
In contrast, previous DAP political rallies from were typically known for the packed halls.
Chow drew comparisons of the low turnout to a tuition centre that said it used to have 200 students packed in a class but, after the pandemic, only 3.5 per cent of the students came back for in-person lessons while the rest preferred online classes.
“That’s the new normal,” he said.
When asked to comment about audience members leaving even while one of the party top leaders was speaking, he said this was also normal.
“As the night grows older, people will leave,” he said.
He said he was always the last speaker and when it was his turn, the hall will be almost half empty or three quarters empty because it was late.
He said all Pakatan Harapan candidates have already started their campaigns to reach out to voters.
“It is more important to have walkabouts so that we can directly reach our target audience,” he said.
Chow, who is also Penang PH chairman, said he attended the opening of the Perai service centre and he was informed that the Perai campaign team had received very good response when they visited the Chai Leng Park market.
“I was in the Bayan Baru market this morning and I’ve received some positive responses,” he said.
He said even though the PH candidates for Pantai Jerejak and Batu Maung were new, most constituents were receptive to them because they recognise the PH logo.
“We have very strong branding and our performance for the past 15 years was good ,” he said. MM
Empty seats at ceramah? They watched online, says Chow
Penang PH chairman Chow Kon Yeow denies people left when a certain DAP leader spoke. ‘The audience will usually start to go home as it was getting late,’ he said.
PETALING JAYA: There were empty seats at Pakatan Harapan’s election ceramah at the Penang Chinese Town Hall yesterday because more people preferred to watch it via online broadcasts, according to Penang PH chairman Chow Kon Yeow.
He said the ceramah was broadcast live on social media channels.ning to the talk, online… we have Facebook Live, so the reach there is much bigger compared to physical attendance,” he said in George Town, according to Bernama.
“But we need to put in the physical effort, we also need to reach a wide target, yesterday was just the first day, and we have 13 more days with various forms of more important activities, such as walkabouts,” he told reporters in George Town.
He was asked for a response to widely-shared photos depicting many empty seats during the PH ceramah. However, the Penang DAP Facebook page showed that the talk was watched by 16,700 people online.
Chow, who is contesting the Padang Kota seat, denied allegations that those who attended the talk left the hall in protest when a DAP leader spoke. Chow said audience members left as it was getting late.
“It has always been like that. As the night goes on, older people will leave. I’m usually the last speaker, by then almost half or a quarter of the hall will be empty. The audience will gradually go home because it is late as most of the talks are held at night,” he said.
“The lack of audience at the end of the talk (even though the speakers are famous leaders) is normal,” Sinar Harian quoted him as saying.
Chow said the response from the public to the PH campaign had been good based on feedback and observations.
“I attended the Perai service centre opening just now and was informed that during a candidate walkabout in Taman Chai Leng market, the response was very good and I was also warmly received in Bayan Baru just now, but we can’t be over confident,” he added. FMT
MALAY MAIL / FREE MALAYSIA TODAY
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