Big response to crowdfunding call

On June 6, I sent a media statement to Malaysia to support the new reformist coalition government.

Little did I know how fertile the political ground was when that seed dropped. A people bursting out with joy after decades of oppression. Within days, the statement went viral in Malaysia and spiralled across the globe connecting the Malaysian diaspora. It was a call to support the crowdfunding of Malaysia’s sovereign debt. I was touched by the number of Malaysians who congratulated me on my move to offer $1000 towards paying off that sovereign debt. But more than that, they identified with the struggle we have all had to go through, where the politics of racial politics was used to divide Malaysia’s multicultural communities.

Behind that racial politics, the kleptocratic elite legitimised corruption on a massive scale. Locally, my statement was picked up and read in full by Nigel Hopkins of Beach FM and, later reported in fragments, by Dompost/Observer. The original June 6 full statement is published below:

“Appeal to the Malaysian Diaspora” Next week I will making an official visit to the Malaysian High Commission in Wellington to donate NZ$1000 towards a crowdfunding campaign launched in May 18 by the Malaysian public to help reduce the RM$1 trillion debt faced by Malaysia.

A debt created by the recently defeated Barisan National Government and its corrupted leader, former prime minister Najib Razak. The quantum of the shocking debt was revealed by the incoming Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) Government.

As a Malaysian, who left the racial politics, discrimination and corruption to seek a future in New Zealand, I appeal to the Malaysian diaspora in New Zealand and around the world to also support the campaign. There are between 700,000 to a million diaspora Malaysians across the world with 18,000 in New Zealand.

I see the personal financial donation not as a small contribution towards Malaysia’s debt burden but more as a powerful and symbolic show of support for the commitment of the Pakatan Harapan Government towards the democratic rule of law and their pledge against racial politics and corruption.

Thousands of Malaysians across the world were touched by the response of the new Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng when questioned by media. He was asked to comment on the fact that he was the first Chinese to be appointed finance minister in 44 years. Minister Lim replied he was a Malaysian not a Chinese. Malaysians driven to despair by five decades of racially divisive politics celebrated this response.

I’m making an appeal to the new Malaysian Government to arrange for their embassies, high commissions and consulates to facilitate the donations towards the crowdfunding known as ‘Tabung Harapan’. This will improve the links between these Malaysian diplomatic gateways and their respective Malaysian diaspora. By upholding the democratic values in Malaysia we are also upholding these very same values in our adopted home countries.

Behind that racial politics, the kleptocratic elite legitimised corruption on a massive scale.