New York style in Johor: Puteri Wangsa hopeful Maszlee pivots to pixels to win over Gen Z voters

JOHOR BAHRU, June 30 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate for the Puteri Wangsa seat, Dr Maszlee Malik, plans to introduce a dedicated mobile application to allow residents to report local issues and submit complaints more efficiently if elected in the 16th Johor state election.

Maszlee said a practical, technology-driven approach is needed given the constituency’s large geographical area and diverse population, which ranges from affluent neighbourhoods such as Austin Heights to Felda Ulu Tebrau.

“With such a diverse constituency, we need to be practical and sophisticated. A mobile app could be one of the solutions,” he told Bernama in an exclusive interview recently.

The former education minister said the app would also help identify vulnerable groups, including single mothers and persons with disabilities (PWDs), who may be eligible for government assistance but have been overlooked because of bureaucratic hurdles or limited access to information.

He said he hopes to draw inspiration from the community engagement model adopted by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who uses digital platforms alongside social media to gather feedback directly from residents.

“There is much I can learn from Zohran Mamdani. He engages directly with the community and uses dedicated apps, in addition to social media, to enable residents to raise their concerns,” he said.

Beyond the mobile app, Maszlee said he intends to maintain regular engagement with non-governmental organisations, residents’ associations and government agencies, while also holding town hall meetings to address local issues.

On the campaign trail, he said his team is adopting a targeted social media strategy to reach voters who are less accessible through conventional campaigning, particularly young voters and Malaysians working in Singapore.

“These groups may not have the time to meet us during walkabouts, so social media provides the most effective way to engage them,” he said.

However, Maszlee acknowledged that digital campaigning presents challenges, including algorithms and echo chambers that can limit the reach of campaign messages.

To overcome this, his campaign is tailoring content to different localities and voter groups, taking into account socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicity and demographics.

The strategy targets groups such as Gen Z, Malaysians working in Singapore, particularly those from the Chinese community, residents outside urban centres and working professionals.

“Different communities and demographic groups have different concerns and priorities. Our messaging therefore has to be tailored to reflect those differences,” he said.

The Puteri Wangsa state seat will see a five-cornered contest involving Maszlee, Rashifa Aljunied of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda), Teow Chia Ling (Barisan Nasional), Nicholas Paul Vincent (Parti Bersama Malaysia) and independent candidate Wang Wee Siong.

Polling for the Johor state election will be held on July 11, with early voting scheduled for July 7.

For the latest updates on the Johor state election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/johor/.

N41: Puteri Wangsa: 128,723 (voters)

1. Nicholas Paul Vincent (Bersama)

2. Wang Wee Siong (Bebas/IND)

3. Dr Maszlee Malik (PH-PKR)

4. Rashifa Aljunied (Muda)

5. Teow Chia Ling (BN-MCA)

(2022: Amira Aisya Abd Aziz: Muda: Maj: 7,114) — Bernama