THE CICAK.com

They Wrote It! Now you Vote It!

Bad rhymes aside, here’s a summary of the top five articles in the running for theCICAK’s Write It! 2006 competition’s Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Award.

The “Write It!” 2006 competition is now over, but do click HERE to see videos of our winner, Davina Goh! Thanks for your support!

Where have all the young politicos gone?

Is there a conspiracy to keep politically minded young people from succeeding our established older politicians? CHANG LISIA looks at what she believes to be one of the root causes of political apathy among young university and college students in Malaysia – the Universities and University Colleges Act. She writes about the act’s flaws and its contribution towards the state of Malaysian politics today. Click here to read Lisia’s article.

CHANG LISIA is a first-year law student. After passing the STPM with a CGPA of 3.0 she realised that she was inherently unsuited for the science stream and thus made the switch. Being outspoken and interested in current issues, it seems she has made the right choice.

Covered-up racial conflicts root of political indifference

SUNNY CHEONG airs his incendiary and rather unorthodox view of how conflict may be the best medicine for an ailing local political system, in an article which suggests that tensions may be simmering very close to the thin surface of racial harmony. Click here to read Sunny’s article.

SUNNY CHEONG is a 28-year-old Kelantan boy who doesn’t talk much because whenever he opens his mouth it usually gets him into compromising situations. He rarely gets invited to social gatherings which his friends agree is for the best. He admits to suffering from severe job hunting apathy.

Do you hear the Gen Y sing?

Looking at apathy from a young educator’s perspective, CHRISTOPHER CHOONG WENG WAI talks about ways to empower and engage our youth by turning the education system inside-out in order to relate to Generation Y. Click here to read Christopher’s article.

CHRISTOPHER CHOONG WENG WAI is a young graduate who struggles stubbornly to keep his ideals. Disillusioned with the corporate world, he decided to join academia. He is currently lecturing/tutoring at the foundation level of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, while also being engaged in his own private studies. Visit his site.

Coming out of the idealistic closet

DAVINA GOH shares with us her secret “shame�? – being too helpful. She writes about how young Malaysians can get involved in losing the self-centred kiasu attitude, and help to make our country and the world a nicer, friendlier place to live in along the way. Click here to read Davina’s article.

DAVINA GOH is an assistant event manager and moonlights in the local performing arts scene. Her character in Perantauan Pictures’ debut production S’kali was an avid contributor for theCICAK. She hopes her life will imitate art. Visit her site.

Asking and acting: The first steps in combating apathy

In his piece about how Malaysian youth can get more out of the information presented to them, NG WEI LEEN proposes a simple two-step method of ensuring that your next mamak session isn’t just another waste of time. He talks about how we can become more interested in the issues which matter, one tiny step at a time. Click here to read Wei Leen’s article.

NG WEI LEEN is an average guy who tries as much as possible to stay in touch with the country of his birth, which isn’t easy even though it’s only a bridge away to the north. Pragmatic but idealistic, he wants to reconcile rationality with patriotism.