ABSTRACT
The emergence of digital technology in Malaysia has had a profound impact on the country's democratic and political processes as it enabled the opposition and civil society to circumvent the government's monopoly on traditional media. To counter the growing presence of its political competitors in cyberspace, the government established a new media unit and started recruiting political bloggers who later morphed into cybertroopers operating on various social media platforms and popular online forums using sockpuppetry and digital astroturfing. Most cybertrooper activities focus on two strategies: attacking and presenting counter-narratives against the opposition and portraying positive public support for the government. The intense battle between various political alliances using cybertroopers has caused instability and tensions in the country as racial and religious rhetoric is played up. Malaysia serves as a warning of what could occur if there are insufficient regulations that allow governments and political parties to engage cybertroopers unabatedly.
