Akses kepada internet dan kesannya terhadap partisipasi politik penduduk di Negeri Johor (Internet access and its influence on the political participation of people in the State of Johore)

Abstract

Aplikasi ruang siber melalui penggunaan media alternatif seperti blog, laman web, forum siber, you tube, email, face book, dan twitter telah memperluas ruang bersuara sekaligus meningkatkan partisipasi politik, mobilisasi sosial dan demokrasi. Sebelum ini, selain ceramah, rakyat banyak mendapat maklumat politik melalui media cetak seperti akhbar, majalah dan buku; dan media elektronik khususnya radio dan televisyen. Namun kini, penggunaan internet sebagai cara untuk mencari maklumat menjadi semakin penting. Internet berperanan sebagai ruang siber yang demokratik dan bebas. Sehubungan itu, artikel ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis akses dan penggunaan internet serta kesannya ke atas partisipasi politik dalam kalangan penduduk di negeri Johor. Berdasarkan kaji selidik yang melibatkan seramai 3,021 responden (1,502 orang di Kawasan Parlimen Muar dan 1,519 orang di Kawasan Parlimen Kluang) dan pemerhatian di lapangan, kajian ini mendapati bahawa akses dan penggunan internet di kawasan tersebut agak menggalakkan dengan 54.0 peratus di Kluang dan 33.7 peratus di Muar. Responden mengakses dan menggunakan internet untuk mendapat maklumat politik. Walau bagaimanapun, pencarian maklumat politik berbeza mengikut latar belakang pendidikan, peringkat umur, etnik, jantina, pendapatan dan pekerjaan. Dalam ‘politik baru’ hari ini, isu korupsi, penyelewengan dan salahguna kuasa diberi tumpuan dan laungan media alternatif tersebut. Rakyat terutamanya golongan muda yang celik IT tidak lagi terpengaruh dengan isu ‘politik lama’ seperti etnik, bahasa, agama dan kedaerahan. Akses dan penggunaan internet terbukti telah mempengaruhi sokongan pengundi muda, terutamanya di kawasan bandar serta memberi impak yang signifikan terhadap keputusan pilihan raya umum 2008. Kini internet menjadi salah satu sumber maklumat penting di Malaysia. Media baru ini dijangka bakal mempengaruhi pola pengundian dalam pilihan raya umum di negeri Johor pada masa akan datang.

Katakunci: aplikasi ruang siber, internet, media alternatif, pilihan raya umum, pola pengundian, politik baru

Cyberspace applications through alternative media such as blogs, websites, cyber forums, you tube, email, face book and twitter can expand the space for people to express opinions, increase political participation, social mobilization and democracy. In the past, apart from political speach, people obtained information on politics from print media such as newspapers, magazines and books; and electronic media particularly radio and television. However, at present, the internet as a source of information is becoming increasingly important. Internet serves as a cyberspace which is democratic and full of freedom. Accordingly, the purpose of this article to analyze the access and use of internet services and it’s influence on the political participations among people in the state of Johore. Based on a questionnaire survey administered among 3,021 respondents, of which 1,502 respondents were in the Parliamentary constituency of Muar and the remaining 1,519 respondents were in the Parliamentary constituency of Kluang, and field observations, the present study found that the people’s access and use of internet in the study area is quite encouraging, with 54.0 percent in Kluang and 33.7 percent in Muar used internet to obtain political information. However, the searches for political information vary according to educational background, age, ethnicity, gender, income, and occupation. Within the contact of the ‘new politics, issues such as corruption, malpractices and abuse of power now have become the major focus and shout of these alternative media. People especially the IT-literate young generation were no longer influenced by the old political issues such ethnicity, language, religion and locality. The access and use of internet also have influenced the support of young voters, especially those living in urban areas. This has also has a significant impact on the result of the 2008 general election. Nowadays, internet has become one of the important sources of information in Malaysia. The new media will certainly influence the voting pattern of the next general election in the state of Johore.

Keywords: alternative media, cyber space application, general elections, internet, new politics, voting patterns