My YSEALI Experience

It's been more than a month since I am back from the US and Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI). I had been wanting to write down my experience but was a bit too pre-occupied with other things since touching down especially catching up with works. Anyway, here it is, better late than never. :) 

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It's 25th April mid-night, I looked at my empty suitcase and thought, "o crap, I am flying tomorrow night to the US and I have not prepared anything!" After all, I have just finished a crazily packed day. Our office has been busy since the beginning of the month - we completed SS2 Wall Art project in the first week, ran anti-rape campaign together with All Women Action Malaysia (AWAM) in the second week, organised Youth Leadership Camp (LEAP) in the third week and just launched Change Your World's anti-human trafficking campaign on 25th April. I needed to cramp everything so that I could spare some time to go the US without short-changing our annual goals. 

Frankly, at this stage, being an introvert, all I wanted was to retract to my personal corner (you'll understand that if you are an introvert too, haha), definitely not to attend leadership program with many new people to meet and connections to make, not to mention the hassle to pack in the middle of the night! Argh. I started to regret and thought to myself, "Why on earth did I apply to this YSEALI?". 

But I was reminded of the reasons I applied to this program - to learn new knowledge, to gain new information, to challenge my current perspectives and to seek new ways of doing things. A person will only move backward if he/she starts living in his/her own world and repeating everything he/she has done before. So I cleared my mind, got myself a coffee, opened my eyes wide, and yes, started packing. And off I went to the U.S on Sunday 26th April 2015!

5 Things I Learnt in the US and YSEALI

MCMC must explain why Sarawak Report is blocked?

Media Statement by Yeo Bee Yin, DAP Social Media Strategist and State Asselywoman for Damansara Utama on Monday 20 July 2015.

MCMC Must Explain How the Decision to Block Sarawak Report Website Was Made

We are greatly disturbed by the action of the Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in blocking access to whistleblower website Sarawak Report. We have not forgotten the incident when BBC’s “kangkung” webpage entitled “#BBCtrending: Be careful what you say about spinach” was blocked temporarily in January 2014.

Whether the websites are blocked temporarily or partially, such practice sets a dangerous precedence for Internet freedom in Malaysia. It seems to us that Putrajaya has increasingly abused its power in Communication and Multimedia Ministry to restrict the dissemination of news that are not in favor of the ruling government.