P223 UM! Azmyl & Parti All Nite Long partying along
UndiMalaysia! P223 Annexe Gallery seat grabbed by Azmyl Yunor (Parti All Nite Long) in a tight contest with Syahredzan Johan (Let’s Go Parti) on 19 June 2011. And Isabelle Lai writes about it for The Star!
KUALA LUMPUR: It had the feel of a real by-election campaign. Posters bearing the candidates’ names and faces fluttered proudly in the air while manifestos were distributed during the campaign period.
Fighting in a mock by-election organised by Undi Malaysia, a new voter education campaign, candidates Azmyl Yunor of Parti All Night Long and Syahredzan Johan of Lets Go Parti verbally slugged it out on key issues such as health, food, housing and freedom of speech.
Much to the amusement of “voters”, Azmyl even offered to distribute free condoms in his health safety pledge.
After a tense vote count, Azmyl emerged triumphant with 58 votes as the crowd rallied behind his populist approach.
Syah’s more pro-establishment image proved unpopular despite the liberal view he held on issues, earning him 47 votes.
P223 UM! Syah & Let's Go Parti campaigned from the word "Go!"
Undi Malaysia campaigner Zain HD said the mock by-election was a one-day exercise to open people’s eyes on the importance of voting wisely.
“It’s a humorous way of showing them how to understand bread-and-butter issues that affect all Malaysians,” he said, stressing that smart voting was the key to good and intelligent governance.
He was disappointed that the results showed voters had not been able to see past the person and on the issues championed.
“Azmyl was very populist. It was an interesting observation that the populist approach works. When people are angry – they are blinded to real issues,” he said.
He said the rakyat needed to understand exactly what they were voting for and why.
To tackle this, Undi Malaysia was initiated by Pusat Rakyat Loyar Burok (a community centre opened by the founders of the Loyar Burok blog site) to activate and empower the rakyat on their voting power.
The campaign also used twitter as a platform.
For more pictures and information, check out UndiMalaysia!, the movement, growing near you. Have you got what it takes to be part of this Malaysian youth initiative? Yes! We are recruiting campaigners, and you have found us. Catch us @undimalaysia on Twitter, and drop us your details to move with us: [email protected]
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Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights (MCCHR) is a non-profit based in Kuala Lumpur with the mission of promoting active democratic participation and human rights awareness.
Posted on 21 June 2011. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
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