SANDAKAN – Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Frankie Poon is advocating a modern approach to disseminating official government messages in Sabah.
Poon suggested replacing traditional billboards with digital LED billboards to ensure swift communication amid the proliferation of false information on social media.
Highlighting the urgency of addressing misinformation, Poon stressed the critical role of billboards as a rapid means of reaching the public.
He underscored the potential dangers of misinformation, particularly concerning governmental policies, directives, and legal matters.
“Whatever misinformation put up on social media platforms can be quickly rectified by the government disseminating the right information on digital billboards.
“It is not easy to stop people from spreading the wrong information on social media, but the government can quickly reach out to the citizens with these billboards,” the Tanjung Papat assemblyman told Scoop today.
Beyond their communicative utility, Poon lauds digital billboards for their environmental friendliness and sees them as symbols of progress.
He suggested leveraging them to showcase Sabah’s developmental strides, particularly within the Sabah Maju Jaya plan.
“This should be done in the whole of Sabah, especially in the interior areas so that we can publish or announce our advertisement or information quickly – ensuring that the people would not be misinformed.
“I urge the government to consider allocating budget for this purpose in the state budget next year. Plus, it will be an additional income for the local authorities,” he added.
Meanwhile, Poon said he had brought the matter up in the Sabah state legislative assembly sitting earlier this week.
However, the Deputy Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Mohamad Hamsan Awang Supain said the government had no plans to set up digital billboards in Sabah for now.
Regardless, Hamsan said the ministry welcomes private companies to take on the task. – April 28, 2024.