KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 — Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi called on party members to get busy on their social media accounts to best their political enemies in preparation for the next general election.

The Bagan Datuk MP reminded Umno members of the party’s loss in the 14th general election, which he attributed to their failure to control social media.

"I call on all Umno members. Activate our social media. At this time only loyalty and honesty is demanded. We need to move in order to repel slander and false accusations.

 "If we can’t repel, then the Opposition will continue to play up negative perspectives to prevent Umno’s rise,” he said on Facebook. 

Zahid also told Umno members that with the latest technologies, almost everything can be fabricated, including voices heard on audio recordings.

 "Umno members are very understanding. In this digital age, everything can be fabricated. Videos, photos and even voices on phone calls can be doctored because there are already applications.

"What I ask is that we repel these false accusations with facts and not disseminate slander. Umno leaders are not like them,” he said, without elaborating on who the party’s opponents are.

Zahid is at the centre of a controversial audio recording that emerged on Facebook earlier this week and has since gone viral on other social media platforms.

The four-minute long recording between two speakers featured voices resembling Zahid’s and his political foe and Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The two speakers discussed Zahid’s speech at the Umno assembly declaring that his party would contest the 15th general election on its own, and said this was not an end to their joint efforts.

Last month, Anwar disclosed that his PKR and Umno have started preliminary discussions on the possibility of cooperating for the 15th general election.

Both Zahid and Anwar have denied the recording is of their voices, calling it fake and slanderous.