Facebook friends sought
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, who initially had 999 Facebook friends, now boasts of 2,800 buddies after 100 days on the job. His target is to hit 5,000 by the end of the year.
'Youths prefer to express themselves freely without barriers,' he told a press conference here yesterday.
Through his observations and interactions with them on Facebook, he said that tertiary students were interested in politics but preferred not to be loyal to any particular party.
'They want to voice out their opinions and ideas through new media like Facebook,' he added.
Student Ainur Syahrizal, 26, who is one of Saifuddin's Facebook buddies, said he could know more about his work by interacting with him online.
'I can also share my opinions with other students and learn new things,' he said.
Another student Nur Aliaa Mat Jusoh, 21, held similar views.
'By interacting with him, I realise that he is trying to catch up on how the youths are progressing and to highlight the voice of the Malaysian youths,' she said.
Michael Teoh, 22, who is another of his buddies, said Facebook was an effective platform without any borders.
'Some of us have stereotyped politicians as people who cannot be reached. But through this kind of online interaction, a new era is here,' he added.
Source : The Star
