Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan will be attending tomorrow's Muhibah Walk: Faces Without Races organised by The Movement, a group of youths who want to restore peace and unity in the country. – The Malaysian Insider pic, January 16, 2015.Racial and religious ties in Malaysia have never seemed so fragile, with racist and bigoted views overshadowing the voices of the moderates and peace-loving, but a group of youths are striving to restore unity in the country.They are called The Movement, a youth wing under the non-governmental organisation Vision 2 Transform who are organising a "Muhibah Walk" themed "Faces Without Races" which will see hundreds of youths gathering and walking for the cause.Project manager Janell Bani said that the walk would be a platform to bring together Malaysians to celebrate the diversity of the different cultures, races and religions."Muhibah walk is our visionary way to unite Malaysians of all races. It provides us a platform to bring Malaysians from all walks of life, young and old, to showcase that our hearts and souls connect with one another as Malaysians."Our diversity is our strength and it is something we can share and embrace. On a personal level, a community level, and a national level, we want to showcase that we can break down all divides and truly be a nation of faces without races," she said.This is The Movement's second such walk, having organised its first last year. More than 800 people attended the event last October, and Janell said the group was expecting a bigger crowd this time."We are expecting 2,000 people tomorrow (today). Some 700 people have already registered, but we expect lots more to walk-in.She said the walk was unlike a "marathon" walk, but was more of a "fun walk" which will see participants walking for about 2km around Dataran PJ and then gathering back on the field for a carnival with music and arts.It is understood that there will also be a donation drive and recruitment of volunteers to help the flood-stricken communities in Kelantan with clean-up and reconstruction.The 26-year-old said that the group was started by a small bunch of youths who wanted to make a difference in uniting and creating a better country."We just started small and it would be great if we could work with other NGOs of a similar nature in the future," she added.The walk today will also feature Malaysia's prominent faces of moderation – activists Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir and Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan.Marina said although there were many similar events promoting unity, including A Walk In The Park, it is good that the youths were reviving the spirit of muhibah."It is good to revive the word 'muhibah' which was once the buzzword in our country for unity and harmony. So (we) need to support it," she added.Ambiga, the former co-chair of electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0, said that the rakyat should heed the voices of the youths, who are calling for unity and harmony in Malaysia."Yes, I am attending. This is a wonderful initiative by the youth of this country and we must heed their voices. I am also there to support them in their efforts to convey a message of peace and harmony," she told The Malaysian Insider."After all, we are holding this country in trust for them and they are the immediate beneficiaries of all that we do now."Praising the youths, she stressed that it was important that the younger people in the country continue to speak up to ensure that they see the kind of Malaysia that they wanted in the future."They should be commended for their initiative in taking steps to promote unity. It is also appropriate that the next generation speaks loudly as to the kind if Malaysia they would like to see," she said.Ambiga is the patron of a similar outfit to The Movement – Negara-ku – which was launched last year in an effort to heal Malaysia and restore hope, given the recent challenges that threaten the peace and harmony of its multi-ethnic and multi-faith society.Some 68 civil society groups and NGOs have endorsed Negara-Ku, which is aimed at mobilising and empowering people to return to the basics of the Federal Constitution, Malaysia Agreement and Rukunegara.Muhibah Walk: Faces without Races will be held at Dataran Petaling Jaya from 5.00pm – 11.00pm. For more information: www.facebook.com/muhibahwalk or www.muhibahwalk.org – January 16, 2015.
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