Bersih turns to social media amid police clampdown
Bersih 2.0 declared today a "day of Internet activism" in a bid to increase online support for the group's mission of electoral reform as the police clampdown intensifies.
Bersih 2.0 declared today a "day of Internet activism" in a bid to increase online support for the group's mission of electoral reform as the police clampdown intensifies.
In between tweeted updates on today's
police raid
of Bersih's secretariat, the group encouraged "Malaysians of all backgrounds, regardless of their affiliations" to spread its message through social media.
"We hope to use democratic tools on the Internet to objectively demonstrate how many Malaysians stand united behind these goals," reads a blog post on Bersih's website.
Bersih outlined three objectives: to reach 50,000 PicBadge supporters on Facebook , to garner 50,000 likes on its official Facebook page and to amass 10,000 followers on Twitter .
Online campaign
The launch marks the beginning of an online campaign that will continue every day from 2 to 3 pm until the July 9 rally in Kuala Lumpur.
From 2 to 6pm today, Bersih asked its online audience to answer "Why #Bersih?" - why it's needed, why we as individuals are choosing to walk, and why it will make Malaysia better for all Malaysians" - through Facebook and Twitter .
The move to social media comes after a long
list
of political leaders and activists have been targeted by police for connections to Bersih, with about 100 people detained thus far for donning yellow Bersih 2.0
T-shirts
.
As of 2pm today, Bersih had 2,182 followers on Twitter , 20,614 PicBadge users and 4,318 likes on Facebook .
"We call upon activists to encourage positively, avoid pressuring others, and not get drawn into unproductive arguments. Ultimately, what we need are numbers to support the cause," the blog post reads.
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