KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 22): The Communications and Multimedia Ministry (KKMM) is intensifying its Covid-19 communication initiatives, with greater emphasis now being given to the quality and effectiveness of the communication, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah.

Saifuddin said the initiatives include sharing data from the Ministry of Health on the rapid spread of the coronavirus and conducting surveys to better understand the profile and challenges every segment of society impacted by the pandemic is facing.

He said the ministry will also identify factors which give rise to issues like fatigue/stress and seasonal forgetfulness, lack of or non-compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOPs), failing to grasp the fact of having to co-exist with Covid-19, trust deficit and disinformation, and the ways to tackle these challenges.

"[Another initiative is] expanding the distribution of the booklet entitled 'Embracing New Norms in the Community to Prevent Covid-19 Transmission' in e-book form and amplifying it in social media," he told Bernama today.

Yesterday, Saifuddin said that although the communication initiatives implemented so far had proven to be good, the initiatives would be stepped up with more systematic planning and implementation to boost their effectiveness.

He said trust deficit towards agencies tasked with addressing the Covid-19 pandemic had emerged as one of the challenges in the implementation of effective communication initiatives, leading to some people defying SOPs and government instructions.

Saifuddin said another method of enhancing the initiatives was to change the narrative from peddling "fear" to promoting "hope" and "progress", shifting the emphasis of the message from "punishment" to "positive re-enforcement", and providing more creative content.

Apart from this, the success stories of unsung heroes would be shared via a story-telling approach, and efforts would be made to achieve precision awareness and education, provide a communication plan on vaccines, and strengthen the social media capability of KKMM and government agencies.

He said the human resource of the ministry at the federal, state, and district levels would be increased and dedicated to community empowerment, apart from optimising grassroots leadership and community and ministry assets like the Community Internet Centre.

He added that the content of the Selamat Pagi Malaysia Grand Stand over RTM would be enhanced while producers or netizens would be invited to produce videos, documentaries, dramas, films, and attractive social media products on a fast-track basis using funds provided by the National Film Development Corp Malaysia (FINAS).