Malaysiakini: UndiMsia! Goes Public On Malaysia Day

UndiMsia! held its first fundraiser and launch on the 16th of September. Below is a write-up on the event by Malaysiakini.

UndiMsia, a new movement aimed at educating and empowering voters, went public for the first time last night as they celebrated Malaysia Day in posh style at an upscale restaurant in Bangsar.

Introducing itself to over 100 people who turned up for their fundraising dinner and show, UndiMsia presented a star-studded team that put on an interesting ensemble of performances based on public interest issues.

From songs to speeches, a total of 10 “finalists” took to the stage to vie for the audience’s affections and their “votes” in a mock election to see who was the most appealing to the crowd.

The finalists were sieved from a pool of 20 “candidates”, through an elimination process based on the number of “likes” they won on an earlier Facebook poll set up by UndiMsia in the run up to the fund-raiser.

The final candidates included, among others, blogger Nathaniel Tan, who spoke on the topic of Cooperative vs Competitive Politics, Fuad Alhabshi from rock band Kyoto Protocol, who sang a song on the Cost of Living, and Fahmi Fadzil, who related his experience in getting sued for a Twitter post earlier this year while speaking on the topic Freedom of Access to the Internet.

Top artistes take to stage

There was also a special presentation segment, where veteran artiste Mano Maniam recited Tunku Abdul Rahman’s (right) speech when declaring Malaya’s independence in 1957, followed by fellow artiste Chew Kin Wah and Ms Malaysia 2010, Nadia Heng, who each recited excerpts from Tun Abdul Razak’s address when declaring the formation of Malaysia in 1963.

UndiMsia describes itself as a voter education initiative that aims to engage youths in the 18 and 35- year age bracket and, to “provide tools and workable solutions to problems that matter” to Malaysia’s youths.

The new movement has pledged to focus on three key issues in its first year of existence, including socio-economic rights in respect of issues like food and housing, civil and political rights, freedom of expression, and understanding the budget in relation to education.

UndiMsia holds its weekly meetings on Saturdays from 11am to 2pm at their current base – the Loyar Burok office, PusatRakyatLB, 3-4, Bangsar Utama 3, Bangsar.

For more information, visit their website, www.UndiMsia.com or look them up on Facebook or Twitter.

This article was originally published by Malaysiakini on 17 September 2011. Click here to view original.