THE CICAK.com

Most Outstanding Youth of the Year 2007… from theCICAK?

UPDATE: For those who want to vote in the AYA Dream Malaysia Awards, voting has ended.

The co-founder of theCICAK has been nominated for AYA Dream Malaysia Awards, Most Outstanding Youth of the Year 2007. Who is she? And why should you care? This personal letter from Krystle Chow will reveal a different side of theCICAK and what you can do to help theCICAK continue to promote good writing and good discussion of the issues which affect young Malaysians.

It’s been a few years since Poh Si Teng surprised me with a message on the old theCICAK forum asking me if I would like to work with the webzine on a more regular basis.

I admit, I’ve never met her in person, but her enthusiasm and activism leaps off the computer screen in her e-mails. I’ve been constantly amazed by the dedication, drive and seemingly boundless energy Poh Si exudes. She’s constantly pushing for better results, for stronger, more insightful journalism, for asking the tough questions and writing more eye-catching headlines.

I’ve often been lazy and fallen by the wayside in checking up on the website, but I’ve been drawn back by Poh Si’s e-mails asking how I’ve been doing and whether I’m still interested in training new editors or picking apart the website’s style.

That’s not to say that she’s a hard-ass; far from it, in fact. I’m reminded of her MySpace profile and how it once declared that she wanted to meet “someone who will feed other people’s parking meters.” She’s constantly fighting for the little guy, the helpless animals which are being abused by their owners, seeking to find out why that drug pusher is the way he is rather than simply denouncing him as a depraved degenerate.

I remember how she fiercely defended one of our contributors despite huge backlash from readers (you all know the story), sticking by the goals of theCICAK to promote all viewpoints, no matter how controversial.

All this at the same time as juggling various demanding internships at such renowned newspapers as the Miami Herald and the Virginian-Pilot and at the Centre for Integration and Improvement of Journalism AND a full-time course load in journalism at the San Francisco State University.

It’s enough to make me bow my head in shame and wonder what I’ve done in my life.

But you know, that’s something that would probably make Poh Si launch into an e-mail encouraging me and spurring me on to greater heights. And she has the same attitude towards every writer we’ve had and has tried to make sure that no-one gets left behind, but rather that everyone’s involved.

“It’s not uncommon for people to admire the grit and spunk in Poh Si. But I think few of them actually realise how much grit and spunk she really has. Poh Si lives and breathes for the difficult, controversial issues others would much rather ignore,” says theCICAK co-founder Jason Lim, who’s been a friend of Poh Si’s for a really long time. “An amazing example of a young person who tackles the difficult and controversial issues not just for the sake of flirting with fire or to be a crazy heroine, Poh Si really wants to understand it, break it down into interesting, mesmerizing ideas and revelations that others can relate to.”

All this meant that it made sense to me when Poh Si was nominated as Most Outstanding Youth for the AYA Dream Malaysia Awards 2007. Of course, how excellent and fitting that she would get recognition for her efforts, especially after her work in putting together our writing competition to honour the unsung young heroes of Malaysia?

But in her typical humble fashion, she responded, “Thanks Krystle. But I think the award was meant to honour a young Malaysian who is really doing a lot of ground work. Someone else deserves it more than me.”

I say, pish-tosh! You deserve this accolade, Poh Si!

“Her braveness and magnanimity makes her a winner in my books already and if that’s what inspires you too, I’d urge you to take a lesson from her and make your voice heard - in this case, through a vote for either Poh Si or any of the other outstanding youth nominated for this award,” Jason says, and I fully agree.

I think it’s really important to honour our heroes, especially when it sometimes seems like they are few and far between in Boleh-land.

Says theCICAK co-founder Khailee: “We want to coach more writers, and host more thoughtful discussion about the issues which affect us. By just sending one SMS you will help theCICAK gain more credibility, build a larger audience, and help young Malaysians continue to have a voice and an audience on theCICAK.com. This SMS only costs 80 cents, but it means so much more to us.”

If not for YOUR SUPPORT, Poh Si, and theCICAK’s volunteers, all the great ideas and thoughtful discussions across theCICAK’s hundreds of articles, and thousands of comments, would have never been shared.

Read More about Poh Si.

• A recent article about her in the NST
• A video of her, about being nominated for the award

This article was published without Poh Si’s permission ;p