A group has urged people of all religions and races to come together and fast for one day as a show of unity as Malaysians and to promote understanding.

Marina Mahathir, one of the organisers of the event titled #Fast4Malaysia, says that the event is aimed at promoting discussion and unity and that it was in response to recent racial insensitivity.

NONE At a press conference launching the event today, Marina ( right ) said, “We need this now because so many things have been pushing as apart, there is not anyone trying to bring us together, least of all our politicians.

“So we thought what can we do that will bring people together? And this is the idea we had,” she said.

She said that the event had only been mooted four days ago in response to recent “insensitivity from all sides” and the fact that the event fell during Ramadan was a coincidence.

The event, which will be held next Wednesday, hopes to encourage people to get together with friends to share their experiences of fasting, and the organisers will also be holding a berbuka puasa event.   

NONE Niki Cheong ( right ), another organiser, said that he hoped the event would encourage people to be more sensitive to each other, show restraint and be less impulsive and consider what may offend, particularly when they are online.

“For me when we ran a similar event in 2009, that was the first time I had fasted,” said Cheong, “It certainly provided me with a new perspective and an appreciation.”

He added that the event sought to raise awareness about all groups in Malaysia, not just Muslims. “For example, not a lot of people know that many Indians in Malaysia fast, so this is the kind of discussions we want people to have.”

YouTube blogger Joseph Germani also gave his experiences fasting for the first time, saying he had slept through sahur (pre-dawn meal) and watched the clock all day.

When asked if the group expected criticism of the event from religious quarters, Marina replied, “Yes there will always be people that find fault with everything,

“But this is not about religion, its not about Muslim and non-Muslim, we are non-political, we are non-partisan, this is simply about everyone coming together, about Malaysia,” she said.