CROWDFUNDING initiative #UndiRabu has collected RM140,000 to help subsidise Malaysian voters travelling home to vote on May 9.

The initiative, started by a group of friends, has received 1,900 requests since it was launched on April 10, the day the Election Commission announced that polling would be held mid-week, on a Wednesday.

Joey Mashar, one of the founders, said they are now in the midst of disbursing the funds.

“Nearly 50% of the funds we’ve already disbursed have gone to subsidise those travelling to East Malaysia, while the remainder is being used to subsidise those travelling in the Peninsular”, said Mashar.

Those who have requested for help will receive RM200 for travel to East Malaysia, RM100 for a flight ticket within Peninsular Malaysia, and RM50 for all land transport.

“We will disburse all the money before the election. We want transparency and good governance, all the money that we have collected will go back to the rakyat.

“We started this as a one off, ad-hoc thing that will be over and done with once the election is over.”

To date, out of the total number of requests received, 818 people have received their subsidies.

“The donations that we’ve received, no matter big or small, have come from individuals wanting to help. There is a lot of trust involved, and some donors choose to remain anonymous.”

The group has made it very clear that it is not affiliated to any civil society or political party.

“We are non-partisan. Our travel subsidies are not meant to affect who they choose to vote for. We want people to exercise their constitutional right, especially first-time voters and students”.

The group works exclusively on Twitter, offering updates from time to time. On April 20, the group announced on Twitter that it will no longer accept any more request and will focus on disbursing the funds. – April 29, 2018.