With GE15 looming ever closer, it seems that some political coalitions are looking for the edge by tapping into the world of TikTok.
In a series of posts all over Twitter, Malaysians have accused political coalitions Perikatan Nasional (PN) as well as Barisan Nasional (BN) of offering to pay TikTokers to make videos telling their followers to vote for the said coalitions.
Eagle-eyed netizens spotted that certain local influencers have taken such jobs and have promoted one of the said coalitions.
Meanwhile, the terms of said offers have also been shared on social media by netizens. In one screenshot that had been circulating, the job offer was for influencers to post on their TikTok/Instagram about a “simple video on GE15“.
“Those who have promoted other parties apart from BN, I don’t want.”
The terms of said offers were based on the number of followers the individual influencers have.
PN were also accused of doing the same thing. In another screenshot shared by netizens, the offer was for said influencers to wear a PN t-shirt whilst having a PN related background at the back of the video.
One influencer who claimed that he was personally approached also shared the screenshot of their conversation.
In the messages that can be seen, the recruiter told the influencer that they would give t-shirts for him to wear in the video and even prepared a script.
The script’s intention is to encourage voters to go out and vote for PN and that it is for ‘life’s progress’.
Morally wrong
Following the outbursts of shares on the subject matter, Malaysians have condemned both the coalitions and the influencers who have accepted such deals.
“If you are an influencer, please do not take whatever paid jobs that is about the general election.”
The user added, “This thing falls under trust. If you promote that party, they will win. That party will then torture the rakyat, then you yourself will have sinned for promoting the party.”
“I was offered, but I rejected. Cause I don’t want to cause a scene on my TikTok,” said an influencer.
Another commented, “This might not seem like a big deal but on TikTok, there are a lot of young voters that are easily influenced. Some influencers might also be naïve and see it as an opportunity to make easy money“.
A quick buck?
Meanwhile, some users criticised the amount of payment they were offering to the influencers.
“Stop undervaluing your work. You are SEVERELY underpaid. Unionise and standardise pay for your own future. This payment tier is embarrassing.”
“My rates are higher thus why you don’t see me do any paid tweets anymore. Dumb influencers now take RM100 for a tweet even with 100k followers,” added the user.
“Don’t take cheap jobs because 5 years down the line the new younger influencers will take even cheaper jobs to undercut your cheap rates,” advised the user.
Have you seen such TikTok videos on your FYP recently? What do you think of it?
Also read: WATCH: Spot The Difference! PN Politician Kantoi For Plagiarising US Politician’s Campaign Video
