Barisan Nasional (BN) components must change their general election campaign strategy from face-to-face communication to online or non-verbal communication.
 
Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the change was neccessary as 6.2 million first-time voters are from the younger generation  who prefer to interact via the social media.
 
"They may not watch television and listen to the radio except for only certain programmes.

"Since they do their reading online, BN component parties must opt for a non-verbal communication campaign," he said at the Gempur Magic programme organised by the Selangor Youth Council and the National Civics Bureau (BTN) attended by Selangor Youth Parliament candidates at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in Bangi today. 

    
Zahid ( right ) said BN suffered at the polls as most BN politicians still prefer the conventional face-to-face communication than the social media to talk to the people.
 
"As a result, many BN candidates fared poorly in the general elections of 2008 and 2013. I was not spared and won with a low majority, despite possessing a PhD in communication.
 
"The verbal communication theory I studied is inadequate as the current trend is for non-verbal communication."
 
The home minister advised the Youth Parliament candidates who attended the event to use non-verbal campaign as it was more appropriate. 
     
He said the Youth and Sports Ministry's plans to establish a Youth Parliament was timely to promote more youths in the country's political arena.
 
- Bernama