Virtual civil society: resurgence of social capital and the 2008 General Election in Malaysia

This article portrays how internet usage was a last resort for opposition groups in a political arena that is semi authoritarian in nature. In this political system, the mainstream media has been distorted by the government, with opposition rallies and group meetings always treated with suspicion and dispersed with force by the incumbent government, thus inhibiting convergence of social capital. Elections are streamlined to favor the ruling coalition, the Barisan Nasional. Control of government since 1969 until 2008 has always been hegemonic, with UMNO, the dominant party of the coalition, firmly holding unto power and dictating policies. The literatures examined concurred that internet usage especially during elections is accrued to the liberal nature of the mainstream media which lacks the power to be critically blatant; however, others see the authoritarian nature of states to be the push factor. By examining political events prior and after the 2008 general elections through opposition accounts and publications, academic literatures and personal accounts, this article depicts the internet and social capital as unrivalled synergies that effect change in a strict socio-political setting.