Rise of Sarawak Efforts (ROSE), a local citizen’s action group dedicated to voter empowerment and free and fair elections, will be having a public session of Project Rumah Baru in collaboration with HAUS KCH on May 20, Saturday, from 1.30 to 5.00 pm. Entry is free of charge.

Project Rumah Baru is a civic education workshop module conceptualized by ROSE. This three-hour workshop starts with a scenario - Sarawak has been completely destroyed in a zombie apocalypse, the remainder of the population needs to rebuild Sarawak 2.0. This then follows with a series of three group activities that progress in a logical narrative.

In brief, the citizens need to elect a new leadership from a selection of individuals, each of whom have a positive and negative trait. In the second activity, following a period of stability and prosperity, the citizens of this new society need to vote on which services should the leadership provide for its people. The final activity comprises of a game of cops versus robbers, where the leadership attempts to outsmart the conmen who are scheming to steal its money.

ROSE spokesperson Ann Teoh said, “Project Rumah Baru signifies the rebuilding of something new – a mindset, a community, a nation. We at ROSE strongly believe it is important for citizens to take a more active role in our democratic process. Many people may feel that they are a powerless cog in the wheel, but without the cog in the wheel, the entire machinery will break down and cease to function.

Project Rumah Baru aims to convey abstract concepts such as how we choose good leaders, and the importance of exercising our democratic rights as voting citizens in a fun and accessible manner. Participants are encouraged to learn, observe and form their own conclusions with guidance from facilitators.

Without a population of thinking citizens who are aware why they vote, and who they are voting for, it would be hard-pressed for our country to achieve our target of being a high-income nation.”

This module is flexible and can be modified to fit an audience of any background. For example, the scenario can be changed to building a village community youth center to fit an audience of rural adults. ROSE is open to collaborating with interested parties who wish to run this module in their own communities, with the condition that they run it in a strictly non-partisan manner.

Interested parties please sign up at the Facebook event page or contact ROSE at [email protected]. This event is open to all, with or without prior experience, and will be hosted by HAUS KCH at Lot 216, Capital Garden, Kuching.

- END 15 MAY 2017 -