KUALA LUMPUR: Every UMNO member must fully utilise social media as an effective political medium to garner public support for the party, said UMNO Information chief Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

She said that this was proven by UMNO's success during the recent Nenggiri state by-election in Kelantan.

"If we look at previous state elections and by-elections, social media played a very positive role. As the Chief Information Officer of UMNO, we are being more aggressive on social media, particularly in terms of training at the wings level.

"We also see several successes from the responses of state UMNO and divisional UMNO leaderships who have their own approaches... many leaders today have become influencers," she said at a press conference after visiting the media centre for the 2024 UMNO General Assembly at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur here today.

She noted that, for example, the Nenggiri by-election saw many UMNO leaders, including political secretaries and Supreme Council members, as well as the candidate, gaining significant attention by campaigning via social media.

She said this indicates that UMNO Information Department's message about the importance of social media in political practices has been positively received in terms of awareness among the party's leadership and members.

-- BERNAMA