THE government clamps down on opposition newspapers. Show-cause letters are sent, publishing permits are withheld and warnings not to defy the government are issued. Meanwhile, opposition leaders decry the move as an attack on freedom of speech. They speculate that this is a prelude to snap polls.

Why do I get a sense of deja vu? Maybe it’s because the paragraph above could have been published two years ago and not be out of place. But we’re talking about something that happened two weeks ago.

Both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat seem to be stuck in a time warp. BN still thinks that old media party organs are a threat. PR is as complacent about new media as it was leading up to the last elections.

Immediately after March 8, 2008, a lot was written about how PR had the upper hand when it came to new media. While that’s true, what helped the opposition was that many of its supporters and some of its new candidates happened to be bloggers.

Jeff Ooi, Tony Pua and Elizabeth Wong were all political newbies; all three were popular bloggers; and all three contested for opposition parties. One contestant, Loh Gwo Burne, had zero political experience but won his seat on the back of a video made available through YouTube.

The reality is that the opposition didn’t have much of a new media strategy and merely benefited from an online media space that was, at the time, largely critical of the government.

Fast forward to the present. The cyber landscape has changed considerably. The really active political bloggers are now mainly pro-BN and pro-Umno, not pro-PR (whose bloggers are now either members of Parliament or state assemblymen, who are too busy to blog).

If you read Malaysiakini or Malaysian Insider, two popular online news sites, you’re as likely to read damning stories about PR lawmakers jumping ship and political infighting among PR lawmakers, as you would see articles critical of the BN.

The balance of power in cyberspace is pretty even now. If anything, BN has a slight advantage.

A quick check shows that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had 23,952 followers on Twitter while Anwar had 14,639. On Facebook it’s 276,224 Najib versus 127,304 Anwar.

Admittedly, counting Twitter followers and Facebook fans is a crude way of assessing things but it does illustrate the point that PR no longer has the upper hand when it comes to new media.

So, rather than finding loopholes to publish its old media organs (such as changing the publication name and using different mastheads for each issue) or trying to negotiate with the Home Ministry to get their publishing licences renewed, PR parties would do well to go online.

Rather than complain about lack of access to traditional media channels like newspapers, radio and TV – all of which are regulated or controlled by the government – PR should create its own media channels online.

No newspapers? Use Wordpress. No radio? Create podcasts. No TV? YouTube. Can’t afford Apco? Use Facebook and Twitter!

I’m not talking about sporadic, ad hoc postings but something holistic, coordinated and comprehensive. A new media hub which can reach out to and strike a chord with young, connected voters.

No doubt, good content is expensive to create. You’ll need to hire professional writers, editors, graphic designers, web designers, programmers, photographers, videographers, audio and video editors. But doing it with new media would cost a fraction of what it would cost traditionally.

So, why doesn’t PR do it? Ultimately, it’s because they don’t believe in new media. They recognise that it’s helpful but they still believe that new media is still on their side and that it’s on autopilot.

If I were BN, I would worry less about old media party organs and take advantage of PR’s complacency in new media. And if I were PR, I would wake up and smell the coffee: 2008 was just a curtain-raiser. The real cyberwar will happen circa 2012. Then, I would look in the mirror and I’d realise, I’m not ready for battle.

Oon Yeoh invites you to connect with him at www.twitter.com/oonyeoh and www.facebook.com/oonyeohpage. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com