KUALA LUMPUR – Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is planning another fundraiser to help poor students by offering short online courses, following the success of his previous #BotakChallenge campaign.
Dubbed “ThunderBOLD”, the initiative aims to collect funds to purchase quality tablets for needy students in Muar, Johor.
The short five-session course covers four different topics, namely oratory, writing skills, critical-thinking skills and advocacy, and will be taught by the former national debater himself.
“When I first started debating, I could barely speak in English, I thought Africa was a country, and my general knowledge was the worst. But debating equipped me with all that.
“I’m trying my best to fulfil the needs of the underprivileged in Muar. Through #BotakChallenge, I was able to help about 300 families. This time, I want to give back through teaching,” he said in a video posted on Twitter today.
After a successful run on #BotakChallenge, I am launching another fundraising to buy tablets for school students in Muar.
— Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) February 2, 2021
I'm offering a short course on critical thinking, oratory and writing skills. 100% funds raised will go to Parliament of Muar.
Be Bold. ThunderBOLD! pic.twitter.com/95h9K72Ub9
According to Syed Saddiq, there are three ways that the public can help with the ThunderBOLD initiative.
Individuals can register online, join a class and be part of the ThunderBOLD squad with a RM200 registration fee, pay it forward and sponsor another student to be in the squad, or help Muar students by contributing directly.
In a WhatsApp message to the press, Syed Saddiq said he was forced to find creative ways to help the underprivileged in Muar as Parliament allocations had been stripped in opposition constituencies.
“Under Barisan Nasional (BN), there would be a parliamentary coordinator appointed with allocations. Now, because of the power struggle between BN and Bersatu, none have been appointed.
“So, that means opposition constituencies suffer with no allocations.”
On December 30, Syed Saddiq had stuck to a pledge to go bald on live TV after a fundraising campaign to purchase laptops for underprivileged families achieved its goal.
The initiative raised more than RM383,000, almost double its original target of RM200,000. – The Vibes, February 2, 2021
