You could offer a voter RM10. You could give him a can of sardines, which would cost you just 35 sen. You could shake hands during your tours of fish markets or hawker centres. But if you were richer than the average politician, you might skip all that and just send your rivals on free holidays.

There’s little doubt that social media platforms will constitute the largest arena of battle for the coming general election, and that gives a measure of quaintness to Sipaun’s recollection of the old days.

Speaking to FMT, he recalled how leaders in North Borneo reached out to the people in Kudat in 1962, the year of the first election to be held in the British colony. He was campaigning for United National Kadazan Organisation (Unko) and one of his co-campaigners was the late Andrew Matakim, who later became a minister.

“In one village, there was one man, I think his name was Gangkangan,” he said. “He was a member of the Order of Kinabalu (ADK) and he always kept his medal, the one with a golden star, in his pocket.

“Matakim had no such medal. After Matakim spoke to the people, it was Gangkangan’s turn to speak. Gangkangan rose from his seat with much deliberation. And then, before he even opened his mouth, he took out his medal from his pocket and ceremoniously put it around his neck.

“I remember how the golden star caught the sunlight and it glowed and the people were amazed. It was a small thing for us, but for these people, it was mind blowing.”

The hilarity aside, Sipaun said, he recalled thinking that voters should be properly educated before being allowed to vote. He felt it wasn’t right that votes could be easily bought for RM10 or just the price of a can of sardines.

“There were people handing out 35-sen cans of sardines to voters and telling them to vote their candidates, and these voters would do just that. The point was that if you wanted to win, you had to approach the voters before they went into the polling booth and give them something. You would then get their votes.”

He said voters at the time had no idea of the significance of elections except that it was a good time to get free stuff.

Sipaun also recalled a winning strategy employed by United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) leader Datu Mustapha Harun before the 1971 Sabah state election.

He knew that several politicians were likely to pose problems to his party, which was then ruling the state.

“Instead of persecuting them,” Sipaun said, “Mustapha offered them gifts in the form of free holidays. So these people enthusiastically took the offer and they went on holiday in Hong Kong, Taiwan and other countries.

“When they were all safely abroad, Mustapha, who was chief minister, decided to dissolve the assembly and call for elections. That’s how Usno won many seats uncontested.”

He noted that people were nowadays more educated and could easily share information through social media, but he said this did not mean the electorate was more informed.

“Confusion still reigns. It’s just that this time around, the confusion stems from different and more modern sources. Too much information is not a good thing either.”

Enter Facebook

Over in Peninsular Malaysia, Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng spoke to FMT about a more recent election campaign, specifically the one in 2008. Perhaps not many recall that this was before Facebook became all the rage.

“In 2008, nobody knew Facebook yet,” Lim said. “I heard about it vaguely, but because I wasn’t familiar with it, I was thinking I was not going to touch it.

“But a few days after GE12, everyone starting using it. Then I had no choice but to download it. Facebook then became part of everyone’s life.”

Back then, he said, campaigning meant visiting the fish market “first thing in the morning” and then heading to a busy hawker centre to “shake hands with everyone”.

“Usually, we would select those coffee shops with the biggest crowds. There, you introduced yourself, told them about your party manifesto and, if possible, hold a press conference.”

In the evenings, campaigners would go to night markets, he said.

“At the night market, we will give out leaflets and posters bearing our photos. Then we’d go to a mamak or coffee shop, say hello to everyone and head for a ceramah.”

However, by the time Parliament was dissolved for the 2013 election, social media had already become popular.

“We had more to do,” Lim said. “In between the morning market and night market appearances, we’d be campaigning on social media sites.

“This coming general election, we will be including WhatsApp and WeChat groups. We hear that it is quite popular among the Malays. We still need to meet people, of course. Otherwise people will say you are arrogant. Ceramahs will still go on.”

Still, he added, the 14th general election would basically be a social media war.

“In my home, there are three senior citizens – my in-laws and my aunt. They are always on their phones, reading everything there is to read because they have all the time in the world. They will be among the targets of social media.”

Former Kuala Selangor MP Dzulkefly Ahmad, who is Amanah’s chief strategist, said a good politician should be in touch with the electorate at all times, not just during the election campaign period. He must be with the people in both good and bad times, he added.

“Good times include weddings, celebrations of all sorts and bad times include funerals and such. No matter what, try to be there. Don’t send an envelope with contributions. It just isn’t the same. It is very important to be there. When election time comes, they will certainly remember you.”

He said conventional campaigning methods were especially ineffective in rural areas. “Face-to-face interactions are the best in rural areas. You have to talk to people, get to know them.

“At the petrol station that I go to, people would come up to me. They recognise me. They know I haven’t changed my car for the last five to seven years.

“It is important to show your sincerity, and not come up with rice and other contributions only when polling day is near.”

He added that ceramahs were also important in rural areas. “That is the best time to explain your manifesto. But you must choose the right topics.

“In the city, you can talk about 1MDB, but if you bring the same issue to the kampung, they won’t understand you. To them, it’s money that isn’t theirs, and even if it returns, they won’t get any of it.

“The Felda issue, however, hits the rural area right in the heart.”