MALAYSIANS KINI Conceptualised in May 2015, the Malaysians Kini column first kicked off as a feature of the up and coming stars of the Malaysian socio-political scene.
Today, it features Malaysians of all walks of life who, for lack of a better explanation, are interesting in their own right.
‘Interesting’ is a neutral word, and allows the column's editors to cast their nets far and wide.
Not all the personalities featured have been popular - some barely garnered interest, while others had readers up in arms demanding why the portal has chosen such a character to feature - but all fit the bill: "Malaysians you should know".
The column every Sunday reads like a conversation with the personality - at times someone you've never even heard of but is doing something absolutely fascinating, at other times someone who is often in the news, but whose full story you don't truly know.
Below are excepts from assistant editor Aidila Razak's pick of the best of Malaysians Kini for 2016, in no particular order.
Here's to more riveting conversations in 2017!
A crusader in crutches has ‘hunger’ for Bersih 5
by Alyaa Azhar
The sea of yellow during Bersih rallies makes it difficult to zoom in on unusual characters, save for a few who try to be a bit more creative by wearing unique costumes - or doing actions to attract attention from the crowd.
However, seasoned Bersih rally-goers would attest to how disabled activist Isaiah Jacob, although clad in a yellow Bersih T-shirt, stands out like a sore thumb.
With his crutches, Isaiah, who has never missed a single Bersih rally, braves the crowd despite his physical disabilities.
Aida Redza dances to connect with communities
by Susan Loone
Intense and controversial, Aida Redza does not merely perform. In all her dances, her soul seeks connection with the past, and with the community around her.
She imbues life into the streets, back lanes and abandoned homes and padi fields, where she loves to perform best - out in the open, under the sun or stars, with the wind in her hair.
She does not paint her face or wear glittery clothes when performing, and would rather roll in the mud in padi fields to showcase her cause.
by Masjaliza Hamzah
If you ask the state who Hishamuddin Rais is, the answer is a laundry list of anti-government actions spanning five decades.
The authorities can point to the student rallies he helped organise, aligning those attending lectures at universities with peasant uprisings of the 1970s.
During the Reformasi period in the late 1990s, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad pinned on the firebrand’s lapel the notorious label of “dalang reformasi” (mastermind of Reformasi, the period of political tumult), earning him stints at lock-ups in Dang Wangi, Pulapol and Jalan Stadium.
The brains and brawn behind M’sia’s pro wrestling scene
by Goh Cia Yee
On a quiet Wednesday night, the violent sounds of bodies slamming against the floor can be heard from behind a garage door, echoing through the empty halls of a badminton court.
Behind the door lies a wrestling ring, occupied by muscular men and women dressed in bright colours, who posture, yell and solve their problems in the middle of the ring.
Meet Adam, a star in M'sia's rising breed of professional gamers
by Nigel Aw, Lu Wei Hoong and Zikri Kamarulzaman
Meet Adam Erwann Shah. The 22-year-old, like many his age, is a gamer and an avid Defense of the Ancients (Dota 2) player.
Dota 2, to the uninitiated, is that loathsome computer game that makes your friends or loved ones ignore you.
To fans, it is a game of teamwork, strategy and intuition. To Adam, it's a job.
Sceptics may frown at the idea of a gaming career, but this is the same Adam whose team of five last month, bagged RM5.6 million at The International 2016, the world's biggest Dota 2 tournament.
Struck with hot steel, jailed under EO, PSM's Saras defines resilience
by Chris Lau
In a dilapidated office in Jelapang, Ipoh, M Sarasvathy spoke in the dark. The electricity had failed in the midst of a late afternoon thunderstorm; waning sunlight filtered through the windows, barely illuminating the room, which covered wall to wall with campaign posters.
On one wall, Hugo Chavez smiles in a printout of a picture from 2009, when Saraswathy met the socialist giant in Venezuela.
“He was talking about people, people, people,” the PSM vice-chairperson recalled excitedly.
‘Beat me on the track,’ Supermoto champ Husna tells haters
by Goh Cia Yee
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to 25-year old Siti Fatimah Husna Muslim. Behind her nerdy glasses and tudung, the ever-smiling Husna is a machine.
Every evening, she undergoes a fitness test with her coach and at night, she works out at the gym. And over the weekend, she gets on her motorcycle and blazes down a racing track underneath the scorching sun, while her team looks on.
Last year, Husna beat all 20 racers to be crowned overall champion of the supermoto CKD category of Malaysian Supermoto Championship Series. She was the only female racer.
Gerai OA empowering Orang Asli women through craft
Harith Najmuddin & Zikri Kamarulzaman
In an Orang Asli village just an hour’s drive away from Kuala Lumpur, a group of 20 women, young and old, are gathered under a hut on an overcast Tuesday morning.
The women, from the Mah Meri tribe in Pulau Carey, are artisans who collectively form the Tompoq Topoh crafts workshop situated in Kampung Sungai Bumbun.
They have come to the hut, situated outside their small concrete workshop, with tote bags filled with colourful and finely woven crafts - bookmarks, purses, small bags and boxes - made of dyed pandan leaves.
One of the women, however, is not quite like the others.
Discovering Pang Khee Teik - faith, sexuality, art and activism
by Geraldine Tong
Four times.
That was how many times prominent activist Pang Khee Teik said he had to come out to his parents.
Pang, who is gay, is prominent for being outspoken and vocal about LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) issues in Malaysia.
However, the first time he came out to his parents was not about his sexuality, but rather about his faith.
For Thasleem, life has indeed come a full circle
by Alyaa Azhar
Thasleem Mohamed Ibrahim did not shed a tear when he spoke about his adoptive mother, neither did his eyes glisten.
But it was evident how strongly he felt about the woman who took care of him since he was 16 years old, when he literally had to fend for himself.
Now 66, Thasleem recounted the difficult period which shaped his life.
He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, chauffeur-driven everywhere when he was younger but all that changed when his father’s business went bust during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, which had led to the increase of food prices.
MALAYSIANS KINI is a series on Malaysians you should know. It features every Sunday.
