Malaysia: Blogging To Promote National Unity · Global Voices
Syafique Shuib

The 1Malaysia Foundation (also known as Yayasan 1Malaysia) recently unveiled its new-look website, as part of its mission to interact with young Malaysians to promote national unity and realize 1Malaysia, a concept founded by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak
According to a recent press statement issued by the 1Malaysia Foundation:
“Our brand new interactive website aims to reach out to the tech-savvy young Malaysians who are already accessing blogs and social media platforms. With the new website, Y1M aims to be part of the ongoing conversations and fulfil its role in encouraging public awareness and participation in critical social development and public policy issues and programmes,” said Professor Dr Chandra Muzaffar, Chairman of Yayasan 1Malaysia.
Visitors are encouraged to share their stories and photos on the website
To keep the conversation going, the website has a section called “Borak-Borak“, a short Q&A session with young Malaysians on national unity and current issues.
Daphne Iking, a popular Television personality, shares her thoughts on her identity via the “Borak-Borak” section:
Honestly? I say I am Sabahan. I’ve been approached and asked why I don’t speak Chinese. I say, “cause I’m not Chinese.” Then they say, “but you eat pork wor?” So I tell them kindly, “Oh…I am Sabahan. A kadazan from Sabah. I’m Catholic. I am the “dan lain-lain”
While many are sceptical of the 1Malaysia concept, Razman Rahim explains why the country needs to embrace this concept:
1Malaysia, the program, the foundation and the people whom is behind it, had idealized a refresher prerogative for the Nation, which could not had been initiate at a more ideal time. Living in a world now, where cultural anomalies are constantly building mutations on our unique and distinguished heritage, from which Malaysia on inception was found upon, the unique collective strength, acceptance, the honor of compromise and tolerance found amongst the champions, though born of different identities and cultures, but found one common cause, and comforts in the differences that overlaps, the differences they championed, and they all sacrificed all but, their Malaysia.
On the other hand, Emma Chong says that positive discrimination is still discrimination:
If you’re trying to achieve the perfect Muhibbah picture by having one person of each race in it, that still means you’re focusing unnecessarily on their race.
The 1Malaysia Foundation also produces videos, inviting Malaysians to talk about national unity and current issues like the one below:
The website is doing well in terms of the number of daily visitors and pageviews, despite minimal coverage from the mainstream media.
Apart from the website, the foundation will also use Twitter and Facebook as a platform for young Malaysians to share their thoughts and stories.