"Us" Versus "Them": An Ideological Battle for Electorates on Political YouTube Videos in the 2016 Sarawak State Election

This article explores the use of online videos posted on the YouTube platform by major political parties contesting state elections in Sarawak, Malaysia in 2016. Guided by cultural theorist Stuart Hall's notion of representation, this article argues that prevailing ideological beliefs can be articulated and amplified through cultural texts, symbols and signifiers that represent Sarawakian identity. The contents of 35 online videos posted between January and May 2016 were qualitatively analysed to understand the use of online videos to promote Sarawak nationalism during the election. The 35 videos consisted of eight music, 12 satirical and 15 promotional videos which were produced and posted by Barisan Nasional (BN) and the opposition parties. This article finds that BN had constructed in its videos the notion of "local heroes" and "foreign villains" which could be interpreted as an ideological reinforcement of state nationalism in the battle for voter support at the ballot boxes. The opposition-created videos, however, framed BN in a negative light. More importantly, both contending parties employed state nationalism as an ideology to garner electoral support by depicting Putrajaya, the federal administrative capital of Malaysia, as the "foreign other" to be defeated at the polls as the federal capital is regarded as attempting to impose its policies on the state of Sarawak.