Imagine this: a few hours after polling units close on election day in 2027, a voice note begins circulating on WhatsApp. It claims to be from a senior electoral official, saying the results from a key state have been rigged. The voice sounds exact, the tone is familiar, and people share it thousands of times before sunset. In another group, a video appears showing a candidate admitting to vote buying, though the candidate never said those words. In yet another thread, a document that looks like an official INEC statement spreads rapidly, complete with logos and signatures. All of it…

On a humid Sunday morning in Kuching, inside the Sarawak State Library Gallery, a small but important gathering took place. The room was filled with community leaders, village chiefs and local representatives, people who do not always appear in headlines but whose influence reaches deep into the everyday lives of Sarawakians. They had come for the Programme on Information and Explanation of Current Issues and Achievements of Sarawak Government Initiatives, a long and formal title, but one that represented a genuine effort to bridge the gap between government policy and community understanding. The guest of honour, Dato Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman,…