At a press conference here today, Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia (GBM) executive council member Jeffrey Phang said specialised software would be used to create the profiles, which could be accessed online and would include their personal details and news articles related to them.

Phang said news articles featuring current MPs would be included in their profile so as to provide the public with a record of the politicians’ previous statements, which he said would be useful when voters go to the ballot box.

The candidates would also be asked for their stance on policies in the Manifesto Rakyat, a compilation of policy recommendations that was launched today.

“We can see which part of the manifesto they agree and endorse, and the public can also compare the specific endorsements across the different candidates,” said Phang.

“It’s like buying a car online and being able to compare specifications across brands and models,” he explained.

A joint effort between GBM and CSO Platform for Reform, Manifesto Rakyat sets out policies in a variety of areas, such as cultural identity, religious harmony, human rights, gender equality, parliamentary reforms, health, education and environment.

CSO Platform for Reform is a coalition comprising 100 civil society organisations focusing on institutional reforms.

The public can endorse the manifesto as a whole or by choosing certain policy areas to support.