Sunway Model United Nations 2023 Opening Ceremony (24/11/2023)

 It's been a week since UNICEF Malaysia's Young Leaders Programme Showcase 2023, now this is my first appearance since the showcase at the 8th Sunway Model United Nations (SUNMUN)!  During my campus visit last month, Xin Qi - the Deputy Secretary General booked my date for the opening ceremony as they needed a home grown SUNMUN alum - representing the campus to various institutions at Model United Nations conferences. 

After lunch, I head to the college side and straight up to the second floor at Auditorium 7 - where the opening ceremony is going to be. I take my seat in the first row and have a chat with Xin Qi and Sean Yee - the Secretary General of this year's SUNMUN. What's more, right behind me and Xin Qi are the delegates of the UNICEF council. "When UNICEF Young Leaders meet the delegates of the UNICEF council," I tell Xin Qi. We take a picture with them.

A reunion with veteran MUN-ers alike - Ke Wen, Danny, Michelle and Alexis etc. Zara, as the emcee of the event, welcomes all delegates and distinguished guests to the 8th annual SUNMUN - and it is the first physical conference since the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Ke Wen and I chat, and he asks me "Katelyn, when are you heading to New York, USA, to visit the real United Nations?" I say "I'm not sure but we never might know what will happen in the future. I'm hoping to achieve before I'm 30 but if it doesn't, there's always another way," 

After the opening remarks from the teacher advisor, it's my turn to be up on stage. I share about my experience heading to the MUN scene - from that one video of Roy Wang - a singer and member of the Chinese boyband TFBoys to my passion in mental health - inspired by the current Prince and Princess of Wales (Prince William and Princess Kate) - led me to the person I am today. My speech is out of the script a little, "Who knows I might represent Malaysia to New York at the real UN one day," I say. As always I end my speech with a quote from Raya and the Last Dragon: 

You just have to take the first step even before you are ready

 It's Shahil's turn to make his speech, he shared about how MUN shaped his personality starting with his first council in a crisis council as a Russian delegate. The crisis council is always a firm favourite in the MUN scene and the first to fill the spaces up as compared to other regular councils. 

After a photo session and some housekeeping rules, delegates made their ways to their respective councils. Of course, I head to the UNICEF council to see all the actions. Most of the delegates are new to the MUN scene, the chairs give everyone a MUN 101 before serious (and fun) council session begins. 

Michelle is playing as the journalist of The Star (which I also used to play back in FairMUN 2019). We have fun on the iPad writing to each other. I also share my position paper when I won at Global Goals MUN 2021 - I delegated under the UNICEF council and sure enough I was delegating as Malaysia and representing Malaysia at the same time - also I was the only Malaysian at Global Goals MUN.

By evening time, the first day of SUNMUN has ended. We go around the room by introducing ourselves. The new MUNers ask me what are the tips for them in council, "Observe and attack at the right time, always be firm with the policy of the country you are delegating." 

It's good to be back on campus again! Thank you Sean, Xin Qi and the SUNMUN team!

For more information: 

Facebook: Sunway Model United Nations 

Instagram: @sunwaymun / @sunwaymunclub

MNMUN Casual Series (25/9/2021-26/9/2021)

 It is back to where my passion for Model United Nations (MUN) began - Malaysia National Model United Nations (MNMUN), we are back again after being on hiatus for a year. For the first time ever, we are going into a different approach, let's just say casually. The casual series is for newcomers and veterans in the MUN scene to have fun and chill out. 

Usually, I would be one of the delegates but this time I decide to switch my role by becoming one of the secretariats. In every pre-MUN conference whether casual or not, preparation is everything! From drafting email templates to sending out emails to preparing the rules of procedure (ROP). The deadline was super tight for the whole team, yikes! 

Since this is a casual series, the delegates don't need to prepare a position paper (PP). All they need to do is research on the topics that are given and debate on the casual series day itself. On the day of the casual series, our opening ceremony is quite chill too! With speeches from the chairs - Hoh Shan and Winnie as well as from the MNMUN secretariats, let's kick off day one of the MNMUN casual series! 

As with any MUN conference, we have implant delegates coming in to spice up debate. I'm almost forced to be an implant delegate to spice up debate but I made my decision that my last MUN, I'm just going to chill. After some consulting with the team, it is best for me to chill and relax, and standby anytime if the delegates need help with some technical issues. 

The challenge in every online conference, we will face technical issues from microphone to internet connection. Always make sure we have all working devices and check before two to three days before the conference. 

On day two and the final day of the casual series, we decide to go on crisis mode in the last session. Crisis councils are big hits in MUN conferences, they are the first ones to be fully signed up. If you're a newcomer and want to try out crisis councils, you can! It will be overwhelming! 

I can't keep my composure at one point in the conference because some of the secretariats switch their roles because they have impressive names. Not sure about my other teammates but I'm laughing inside really hard, and luckily I'm muted. 

Alas, the resolution passes! While waiting for the "news reporters" to settle the story of the crisis. The veterans give some tips and advice to the newcomers in the scene. Always do some research before the conference.  We'll be lost during the debate, but for my first ever MUN conference, I didn't talk much. More of observing and listening. 

Here are some of my personal tips for the newcomers in the MUN scene: 

1. Have the passion and have fun 
2. Listen to rule no. 1 
3. An award or not, it's all about the experience 
4. Explore MUN councils, see which fits you the best 
5. Be kind, humble and diplomatic 

Well, there we have it! One bang on the gavel and the MNMUN casual series is officially done! This marks the end of my MUN journey! When I first joined MUN, the goal was to represent Malaysia at the ECOSOC Youth Forum at the real UN one day, shining a light on mental health, fighting the rights of special needs etc. These are the goals I was aiming for when I stepped in and hoping to be heard one day. 

What is my biggest achievement in MUN? It's definitely attending the virtual ECOSOC Youth Forum in April earlier this year. With MUN, we can be involved in some NGOs. For instance, I'm currently in the Southeast Asia Global Affairs Network (SEAGAN) as well as Malaysia Youth Association for Diplomacy and Policy (MYADP). Even though I'm not in the international relations field, I can use my communication skills to spread the message. 

This is Kar Marn, secretariat team member of the MNMUN casual series, officially signing off from MUN! 

EOSMUN 2021 (17/9/2021-19/9/2021)

 A day after Malaysia Day, EOSMUN is back on the road, online that is. This time I'm delegating as the United States of America under the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the last EOSMUN was held two years ago on the ground. I was delegated to the same council too! I  was delegating as Bahrain. 

As with any MUN online conference, the opening ceremony was held on zoom and the secretariat team made it into a newsroom, I totally loved it! After that, we were "moved" to our respective councils on discord - a go-to platform for MUN conferences in Malaysia. To break the ice, we went through a round of introduction, I'm the oldest in the council while everyone is still in their teens. I felt old! I thought: Should I back off to let the newcomers take over? Well, that is not for me to decide because I have some plans up in my sleeves. We'll know at the very end. 

The first day was really chilled, we did lobbying. For your information, lobbying is like discussing with our fellow delegates and forming blocs to discuss the topics. The action will come in on the second day which we will see in physical conferences whereas in virtual conferences like these, just by listening to the delegates, we could feel the energy coming from the other side of the computer. 

On the second day, unfortunately, I had to miss the second half because I had another event that was previously scheduled. I managed to get all the juicy news from my fellow delegates on the latest progress. The delegate of the UK was getting stronger than ever! The delegates of Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands all came together to plan our next move. 

The delegate UK decided to leave us behind and join the other bloc, which was fine by me. This is my go-to rule when it comes to MUN conferences - always follow the policy of the country we are delegated as unless we are in a crisis council, we can go beyond that, always remember to keep the diplomacy in hand. 

In conferences, I helped the chairs indirectly with the ROPs which eased their roles a little, maybe? In MUN, we always address ourselves in a third person form, for example, "this delegate... or "the delegate of the USA thinks..." unless you're in a youth council representing ourselves, we can use first-person pronouns like "I" or "me" - that would be acceptable. Back to the conference, we managed to end a council session early because we passed the draft resolution! 

During the closing ceremony, the UNHRC was up first. I didn't expect to get my third major award - Honourable Mention. If I were to get an award, I was expecting to maintain as Most Diplomatic, that award went to the delegate of Germany. Anyway, an award or not, the most importantly in MUN is all about the fun and the message that we want to bring to the world. Speaking of fun, I did a couple of Tik Tok videos to document the three-day conference, the EOSMUN team loved it! 

Thank you EOSMUN team, well done and keep it up! A huge thank you to all the delegates in the UNHRC, especially the chair and co-chair Joshua and Muneer for making the council comfortable and smooth. This is Kar Marn, the delegate of the USA from UNHRC, signing off!

My final MUN will be at MNMUN casual series. What are the roles I'm handling next time? Stick around to find out. 

For more EOSMUN details, head over to their IG: @eosmunkl 

University Nottingham Malaysia Campus MUN 2021: Champions Cup (19/6/2021-20/6/2021 & 25/6/2021-27/6/2021)

 I thought I would hit the 20th MUN conference milestone at Champions Cup 2021 but NightMUN weekend took over the spot, it's okay! First day Champions Cup is quite relaxed, we have games such as the Scavenger Hunt, Sports Tournament and Spy Game. Due to special needs, I only managed to join two out of the three games. I think the Scavenger Hunt is a favourite in my list. Although, I didn't join the Sports Tournament, I heard some of the delegates didn't end up well after that. Ouch, that's harsh! Guess we all need to pump all that muscles despite being in full MCO. 

On the second day, let the brain power begin! I'm in the ECOSOC council once more, delegating as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We have two topics to discuss on:

1. Regulation of Cryptocurrency 
2. Finance and Development of Sustainable Energy in Developing Countries 

As always before formal debate, we are given the primary speakers list for delegates in this council to set which topic we are going to debate on. Although, my personal preference is Topic B, everyone is on Topic A. We still have time for the second topic, if we managed to get the first topic done. For the third session of the conference, it's not debate but the team invited a guest speaker from UNMC - Dr. Andrew Silva to share his experience working in the UN. I did ask a lot of questions, especially on how to get youths to talk about mental health. 

Unfortunately, I didn't stay long because I have a Sunday class to attend. After the a long day of debating, it's time to kick back relax and go on a (virtual) holiday with Global Village. I think out of the three presentations, I love the Kenyan delegation, which really take us on a virtual holiday. We all miss travelling! Hopefully, after the pandemic, we can travel like we used to. 

To make our council interesting and stimulate our brains, Eiman has this idea of making our council into a crisis council but it's the ECOSOC version. I have to admit that crisis is not my best form in MUN conferences but it is worth a shot. At one point, Eiman played as the fictional prince in our council and Angus acts as a advisory to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

The draft resolution  has some acronyms that we would use in daily conversations but personally, I wouldn't recommend to put them, really. Here's a tip please use proper acronyms when writing draft resolutions. Again, I'm off to Sunday class. By the time I came back, I heard the delegate of France commits a fictional murder, which this delegate would not accept at all! She is one revengeful delegate in character! Please do not commit any of the actions above. Diplomacy and peace are the keys in a council, unless we wanna have conspiracy, please, go to a crisis council - where we can fictionally plot any plans. 

We headed to the crisis council- which has some intense discussion, it is, because we know crisis! How I wish they could play the running away music background as what we did in NightMUN weekend council.  I'm hopping on and off the channel to listen the discussion they have in council. 

I can say Champions Cup 2021 is not our traditional MUN. Although, there is some confusion in between prior to the conference, overall the team has done an amazing job to make this first ever virtual Champions Cup a success! Kudos to Yun Ni (Winnie) and team! Not forgetting my fellow delegates in the ECOSOC council and to our honourable chair and co-chair, Eiman and Jesse! 

This is Kar Marn, delegate of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from ECOSOC, signing off! 

UNofficial MUN: NightMUN 2021 (5/6/2021-6/6/2021)

 I was in a middle of a MUN break after a hectic month of April of attending MUN conferences back to back. I was relaxing as always, then, Angus - the secretariat of NightMUN asked me to join in. The thing was just left a couple of days before the mini conference. The reason he gave was "They needed someone who is experienced to guide them in conference - an older sibling to look after them, to show them the ropes on how MUN is done," 

Prior to the conference, I did have a sneak peek of the list of who were in the conference. Veterans like Lim Ke Wen and our famous and friendly MUN detective "Sherlock Holmes" also known as Ernest, they have done more MUN conferences than I have before stepping into the scene in 2018. I was sure, they didn't need me to be there. I couldn't stand the bugging anymore, signed up at the last minute. My role was assigned as MP of Taman Setapak (it's a make believe constitution, imagine we are in the future year of 2053). 

In the beginning of the council, I was doing just fine - giving speeches in the general speakers list (GSL) and raising Points of Information (POI). True enough, I got shot by the new delegates on board and thought to myself: "Am I really in the right council?"

 Some of the delegates thought I was stealing the spotlight by flexing my experiences in MUN. Well, if we wanna to show the new comers on board on how a MUN conference is done, we have other experienced MUNers in the council right? I can just sit back and watch the drama and listen to the debate - which I eventually did, during the second day of council, most of the time. 

Okay, we had to admit the running away music scene it's pretty cool of a fictional crime, which it was because we were in a crisis council with a form of Dewan Rakyat. To new budding MUNers, crisis council might not be the best choice, but if you're adventurous and taking the first step, good for you! 

Kudos to Angus and team on the first ever NightMUN weekend conference! Keep it up! 

This is Kar Marn, MP of Taman Setapak, signing off! 

Global Goals MUN 2021 (23/4/2021-25/4/2021)

 After a two-week break from online Monash MUN 2021 (MONMUN), it's time to bring the Malaysian spirit to an international MUN - Global Goals MUN also known GGMUN. This time, I delegated under the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) council as Malaysia, which was a coincidence - a sense of duty to fly the Jalur Gemilang (the Malaysia flag) high. 

In fact GGMUN almost became my first ever MUN conference back in 2018 - that was the year my passion for MUN ignited. In the end, I went to the Malaysia National Model United Nations (MNMUN) - it's always to start locally before ventured into any international MUN conference. Familiarise with the local scene, once we are confident enough, we can go international. 

Prior to the conference, we have two networking sessions - where got to meet youths from all over the world. The first session was WHO and Covid-19. We discussed on how the WHO are handling covid-19 globally, and what were the actions that government have taken in our respective countries to combat the global pandemic. I was really happy that I got to show the MySejatera app - a mobile application for Malaysians to be updated with the latest infographics on the pandemic. Now, it has a function for us to register to receive the vaccines, make sure the information is complete. 

The second networking session was about the Global Goals, known as the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). We have nine years to reach all the 17 goals, I got to discuss briefly on the goal that I'm passionate about - SDG 3: Good health and well-being which focuses on mental health. Also, we got to demonstrate the specialties in our respective countries. Of course as Malaysians, we love to mix our languages, we can see four languages in one sentences. Don't be surprised if you ever visit Malaysia, that's how we do. 

The topic for the UNICEF council topic was relatable because we mostly had our classes online. We have seen reports that underprivileged children were having trouble accessing to the Internet during the pandemic. Malaysia was no exception when the Movement Control Order (MCO) was implemented on 18 March 2020. 

On the day of the conference, we had an MUN 101 and getting to know delegates in our council before the debate took place the next day. After the opening speeches, let the debate begin! I managed to talk about how children's mental health were affected during the pandemic due to digital learning. At one point, I failed to gather all my Southeast Asia allies to form a bloc. The whole council was merged into a huge bloc. 

Since MUN was shifted online, the gossip box became a new tradition to confess one another (nicely). Unfortunately, it didn't turn out well. On the last day of the council, we passed the working paper! We skipped the gossip box, and recorded two TikTok videos - another new in MUN. I didn't go to the closing ceremony because I was having a heavy digital fatigue. When I came back to check the phone, my chair, Adolfo, informed me that I got Best Position Paper award! Wow, that was unexpected! 

Every MUN that I attended, regardless of physical or virtual, I don't aim for the awards. I go for the fun and gaining experience in the process. Best Position Paper award - this is the second major award in my MUN career followed by Most Diplomatic award as the delegate of Bahrain at EOSMUN by IGB International School in March 2019. 

Thank you Adolfo and Pande for giving the best experience at Global Goals MUN. For every child, a quality education. This is Kar Marn (Katelyn), delegate of Malaysia from UNICEF, signing off! Now, on for a break! 

MONMUN 2021 (9/4/2021-11/4/2021)

 Fresh from the virtual ECOSOC youth forum, I'm back for Monash Model United Nations (MONMUN) online conference. This time is the Malaysian Youth Assembly (MYA). In this council, I'm playing as myself, which is easier than the other council which we have to play a country's ambassador. 

We have two topics to choose from in MYA which were The Issue of Brain Drain and Climate Anxiety. Before we went into a formal debate, we have a primary speaker list. The primary speaker is referred as a "persuasion" to persuade representatives on which topic we wanted to debate in council. We voted on brain drain as the topic of debate. 

We were discussing on why Malaysians should be coming back to the Malaysia and contribute the economy, suddenly, a representative brought up an article we should not discuss in council - that would land us in big trouble! Although it is stated in the research report, it was not allowed to bring up the topic itself. We will end up in a place that served curry rice. 

On the end of the first day, Representatives Lim and Fong, and myself were working on a resolution paper. The second day, I mentioned about the zero-reject policy which was existed during the previous government. "No one knows the zero reject policy? " I asked, no response from the representatives. Luckily, my junior chair, Dee, explained what is the zero reject policy. I was inspired to make a meme out of it, with some help from Angus.

Ernest, who is fondly known as Sherlock Holmes in the Malaysian MUN scene, had an impressive presentation of his working paper in a form of a minecarft game! The map of Malaysia was really on point. The representatives council were lost for words! 

The third and final day, I got into a no-nonsense mode by saying "Don't mess with Melaka girl!" - which is true, because Melaka has a slogan - Don't mess with Melaka. My co-chair, Carmen, made a meme out of it too, which I truly appreciated. Finally, we have passed the working paper! Wohoo! 

Ernest bagged "The Best Delegate Award", I was thinking maybe we could have "The Most Enthusiastic Award" - it only applies in the superlative in council. I'll take that, thank you! Thank you Jason, Carmen and Dee for giving the opportunity to be in your council. This is Kar Marn aka Representative Chin, from Malaysian Youth Assembly (MYA), signing off! 

Nexus MUN 2021 (5/3/2021-7/3/2021)

 One MUN after another, it's time to head to Nexus International MUN Conference (NISMUNC) 2021 with the theme of #unitedby_. I'm back to the Dewan Rakyat council, I'm holding the position of the Prime Minister and MP of Pagoh. Before that, I contacted both government and opposition side to discuss on the issue of pollution due to urbanisation. 

On the first day, I was given a seven-minute speech. I was too nervous that I have to pause in between the speech. On the government side, most of the MPs are either new to MUN or to Dewan Rakyat itself. As a veteran, I did the best I can to speak up while taking a step back supporting them. The first day ended, we straight went into Bill writing which was going to present on the second day. 

The second day started off with the ministers' questions. As the role of Prime Minister, the pressure was on. I couldn't even answer from MPs Bagan and Langkawi, because the Opposition side is too strong. I couldn't take the stress anymore and broke down in council. Yes, I really cried in council during the break or something because it's too much of a pressure handling it. 

Get this when we are playing the Prime Minister in a Dewan Rakyat council, we have to be mentally prepared for a no-confidence vote. The whole block just falls immediately when a no-confidence vote is taken place. Fair enough, few of the MPs hopped on the other side and my side became the Opposition. I couldn't take the stress anymore and broke down for the second time, for real this time. 

After some compromise, the secretariat team is kind to let me to take a step back and to listen in the debate. Occasionally, I hopped in to give the MPs some back up support. The third and final day, I was off on the first half of the council, joined in the second half. We were working on the bill and managed to pass it in the end. It was better than my very first Dewan Rakyat bill, we failed completely. 

I may not be in my best form this time, the next time it's going to better than before. Will I ever stop MUN after this series of events happened to me these three days? No, the message to spread the awareness on mental health is still on. 

Thank you Johnathan, Yit Xiang and NISMUNC team! 

This is Kar Marn, MP of Pagoh from Dewan Rakyat signing off! 

TLMUN 2021 (26/2/2021-28/2/2021)

Most of us are celebrating the last day of Chinese New Year, but for Katelyn is back to her Model United Nations (MUN) after four months of break. The first MUN of the year is Taylor’s Lakeside Model United Nations 2021 (TLMUN). I’m playing the delegate of the UK under the World Health Assembly. We have two topics to choose from which is the vaccine for covid-19 and the effects of bioterrorism. As always on the first day, we go through the ground rules and getting to know each other. 

On the second day, before we head into formal debate, we have to vote on which topic should be discussed in council. As expected, the first topic on covid-19 vaccines has the most votes. Also, it is related to us because the vaccines are a hot topic these days. In Malaysia, we have received the vaccines on 24 Feb 2021 (Wednesday) and received the vaccines from China recently. 

To make sure our Internet connection is running smoothly, the chairs did a mic test on each of the delegate. When it comes to me, I got into character which made Amalia, my co-chair to crack up. After some formal debates, we head into an unmoderated caucus. At one point, I almost lose composure, while the delegate of North Korea, on the other end wondering whether I would blow up anytime. Don’t worry, I am fine! 

Even though, our brain cells are totally worn out on the second day, the delegate of the US insists us to join immediately after the meeting because we are writing a draft resolution that is going to present on the third and final day of the conference. Being in a blur, I didn’t know what did I put in the draft resolution, but my points are there. 

On the third day, I overslept by 12 minutes of the first session of the day despite doing the best to wake up by 8am. To back up some points, always stick to the policy of the country that we are representing. The delegate of Malaysia bashes that I should check my foreign policies, I did during the general speakers list session. For the first time in my MUN experience, the resolution passes! I did expect some juicy debates after handing in the resolution, but it didn’t happen which is good news! 

As per MUN tradition, we have a superlative award in our council. Two hours of rest and it’s the closing ceremony. I didn’t expect to win a verbal commendation alongside the delegates of North Korea and Malaysia. China wins the Best Delegate award with the delegate of Japan bags the Honourable Mention, and USA wins the Highest Commendation, the delegate of Namibia takes home Best Position Paper. 

Thank you TLMUN team and a huge thank you to my chair, co-chair and rapporteur Pumudika, Amalina and Theo, as well as each and every delegate in the World Health Assembly council. This is Kar Marn, delegate of the UK from the World Health Assembly, signing off! 

SUNMUN 2020 (27/11/2020-29/11/2020)

SUNMUN 2020 is back! Online that is, it was supposed to be held in July. Due to the current pandemic that the world is facing right now, the conference is shifted online as with previous MUN conferences I had attended. I was supposed to be placed in the Dewan Rakyat - which is one of my favourite councils but due to low participation of delegates, the council is called off. I look for other councils in the list, I decide to try out the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) for short. Please, do not be confused with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). 

We have an ice-breaking session and later Elisa, our co-chair explains the procedure of MUN in general for the newcomers to be familiar with, we don't want to have any culture shocks. I remembered during my very first MUN in 2018 at Malaysia National Model United Nations (MUN), I have to find my way during the three-day conferences. No guidance at all, but slowly was working the way during my second conference which was SUNMUN 2018. 

The debate begins on the second day with opening speeches and discussing on the topic in hand. I have a chat with Elisa, the co-chair of the council during the break to catch up we have been up to these days. The delegate of Canada decides to team up with delegates of Malaysia, New Zealand, Ireland for a bloc on drafting a working paper that would be presented later for a draft resolution. As I'm in a meeting for an upcoming SunFM podcast, the delegate of Canada and Ireland message me, and I didn't know what is going on. It's a bit of drama but it is all in good terms. If this was in a physical MUN, the drama would be even intense. 

 On the third and final day of the conference, I didn't join the first half of the conference as I'm on my weekly Sunday class. By the time I come back, the resolution is passed and we end a session early. While waiting for the online closing ceremony, the delegates mingle around and drop our respective social media handles in the chatbox for us to keep in touch. Although, no award for me on home grounds, this a way to close the final online MUN conference in 2020. Hopefully, next year in 2021, a physical MUN conference.  

UNAM Youth Assembly Conferece: iGem Mini Youth MUN 2020 (21/10/2020-22/10/2020)

 After one and a half months of hiatus, it's time to head back to the Youth Assembly organised by United Nations Association Malaysia, also known as UNAM youth. I was browsing through my Instagram account and it popped out of nowhere that there was another UNAM Youth Assembly, this time to include sustainability education into the Malaysian education system. I was filling up the form, I didn't realise it was two days from the conference. It was a last-minute sign-up. 

How am I going to prepare a position paper in two days, I thought. Usually, position papers in normal MUN conferences, we would take weeks to get it done and hand them to our respective chairs. I quickly messaged Tuck and Ernest - they are the chairs for the conferences, on submitting the position papers, and to my relief, we didn't need to hand in one because it was a mini-conference.

On the day of the conference, it's really a mini one, with only three delegates - Rueben, Roshen and me. For everyone's benefit, we went through the rules of procedures on how the youth assembly would run. In this case, we were representing ourselves as youths, how are we going to convince the "big people" to implement sustainability education into the Malaysian education system. It was firing in the beginning, until the end, we were starting to slow down as we were running out of topic during the General Speakers List (GSL). Our chair, Tuck, gave us the remaining hours of the council to write a resolution. 

The second day, things got a little better because we have our second chair, Ernest, also known as Sherlock, came in as a delegate, alongside Sarah, that did spice up the council for a while. When Tuck asked about delegate to put in the GSL, I decided to step back and let the newcomers - Rueben and Roshen to hop on. We did have a little "controversial topic" in council which really got us into full debate mode, but the rest of the session was really chill. This is the most chill youth assembly I have been to yet compared to the first one on the status of Rohingya Refugees in Malaysia which was a little intense. 

Finally, we got into voting on the draft resolution as a whole. Roshen and I spoke for it while Ernest and Sandra spoke against. In the end, we passed the resolution! I amended a couple of clauses in the draft resolution, which was a first. Usually, I would just comment on the resolution. I did send an amendment once but it failed. Throughout this two-day conference, I learned a lot on climate change and environmental sustainability. I have to admit that I'm not an outdoor person to appreciate Mother Nature, hopefully, after the pandemic is over, we could go out to feel the grass and dirt like how we used to and plan a new seed to brand new dawn. 

 I'm happy to be back on board to help out newcomers. Thank you, Ernest (Sherlock) and Tuck for guiding us, looking forward to the next youth assembly. 

iGem Mini Youth MUN 2020

MONMUN 2020 (28/8/2020-30/8/2020)

 It's back to Dewan Rakyat, this time let us set back the time into the late 1990s when the Asian financial crisis affected Malaysia. Yes, it was back in 1997 (that was the year I was born. Oops, my age is revealed!). Anyway, I'm in the Gagasan Rakyat party coalition, playing DAP veteran - YB Tan Seng Giaw, the MP of Kepong. 

As with any Dewan Rakyat councils I have been to, this Dewan Rakyat council is special because it connects with the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 till 1998, it's a crisis council! Throughout my experiences as a MUN-er, the crisis councils are always major favourites among delegates. It's always packed up in physical conferences. I asked my fellow delegates why crisis councils are always the favourite? They said: "Because there is always drama!" I could imagine how intense and full of drama the council would be. 

First time for everything! Each MP receives their personal profile to achieve three objectives: primary, secondary, and secret. Besides that, there is a brief on the MPs' characters. In fact, a few days before the council, one of the MPs texted me on a strategic move in council. I'm speechless because this is my first time in a crisis council throughout my MUN career. The key is trust in crisis councils.  

Even before the council starts, we have to face a fictional death scene, in this case, the MP of Permatang Pauh takes over the place as the Prime Minister of Malaysia. For the sake of Malaysians, we put our political differences aside and start to draft a model bill. 

The MP of Sg. Siput is really passionate on riverbanks and astronomy, how can we focus on these two when we have a financial crisis to handle? Things get heating up when MPs from both sides start to tear each other apart until the Kak Long Speaker has to calm the situation, while I'm having fun to listen to both sides of MPs arguing at each other, just like the real Dewan Rakyat. 

One point, the BN government blames the Opposition party for not contributing to the writing of the model bill. I quickly switch on my microphone to clarify that the Opposition did contribute to Bill. "Yes, YB Kepong, we appreciate your efforts. What about your fellow Opposition MPs, did they contribute?" the PM asks. My answer is I will do the best to convince my fellow Opposition MPs to be proactive in the council. 

The drama continues with the YB Sg. Siput being put into "jail" which we called the matahari. Not long after, YB Pekan is put into the matahari, and he was sacked by the PM, switching the role of independent as Ambassador Pekan for USSR. There is a "love story" written by some of the MPs, luckily the Kak Long Speaker bans it. Phew! 

It is more exciting when we are running for a virtual "election". Of course, we have to draft an "election manifesto". When we will know the results of our virtual "election"? That will be revealed during the closing ceremony. In the meantime, we are voting the bill as a whole and we passed the model bill. During the closing ceremony, awards are given out to delegates in each council. When it comes to our Historical Dewan Rakyat, the "polls" are revealed. Eventually, for my character, 11% of the votes which is okay. But here's the plot twist, none of us did win the virtual "election", YAB Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin comes out nowhere! In real life, he is our current and eighth Prime Minister. 

It's my first ever crisis council in my MUN career, first time ever facing a fictional death, first time ever running a virtual "election". Three firsts in historical crisis council. 

This is Kar Marn, representing YB Tan Seng Giaw, MP of Kepong (Gagasan Rakyat) from Historical Dewan Rakyat Council (HDRC) signing off. Tomorrow is Malaysia's 63rd Independence Day, wishing all Malaysians Selamat Hari Kebangasaan! 

First crisis council 

Taylor Lakeside MUN 2020 (14/8/2020-16/8/2020)

With two international MUN during the last two months, it's time to head back to the Malaysian MUN scene. I'm playing YB Hannah Yeoh, MP of Segambut in the Dewan Rakyat council. Hours before the council, the delegates who are playing PH MPs have a quick meeting on Discord to strategise our plan on keeping the Perikatan Nasional (PN) in check, that is our role as the Opposition Party. 

Our Deputy Tuan Speaker explains how the Dewan Rakyat work as a whole and have to imagine that we are in the real Dewan Rakyat, even though it is online. At 3.30pm, the opening ceremony begins.YB Syed Syaddiq, the MP of Muar is one of the guest speakers. He emphasises that us youths are leaders of today, we can practice our rights as young Malaysians. One of them is registering as a voter for the next general election, we can also get in connection with an NGO on the topics we are passionate in. 

It's time for Dewan Rakyat showdown! Some of the MPs go overboard by "insulting" the delegate who is playing MP of Langkawi, Tun Dr Mahatir. To keep peace in council, my character as MP of Segambut request the Deputy Speaker for the MPs to "retract" (tarik balik) their statements. One point, I got "fired" as well, but that's how Dewan Rakyat works. 

The remaining half an hour of the council, MPs are broken into two voice rooms to discuss on their respective stances. On the second day, the debate continues and it's getting more dramatic than ever! There is some drama between the MP of Semporna and MP of Keningau on the opposition's group chat. We did our best to back up MP of Keningau but it didn't work out. I did the best by playing the peacemaker while keeping in character to let the drama cool off. At the end of the second day, the first model bill which is the RUU 355 "passed" in the House.  

To bring out our best form, the opposition party, Pakatan Harapan (PH) MPs had a late-night meeting on how to "attack" our PN counterparts. Having done Dewan Rakyat council at SUNMUN 2019, the MPs are reminded to keep in character at all times and don't need to oppose everything on the government side. As mentioned earlier, the role of the Opposition is to keep the government in check.  Although I'm worn out, as an MP, got to serve the role for Malaysians. 

The third and final day is going into the Economic Stimulus Package (ESP). At the beginning of the council, every MP requires to speak on the bill as a whole regardless of government or Opposition. At one point, my character is accused by MP Langkawi of not following the Constitution. No matter in power or Opposition, each and every MP knows well about the Constitution. The third principle of the Rukun Negara: Keluruhan Perlembagaan (Supremacy of the Constitution). The MP of Kota Bahru comes into defending me, stating that each MP has their own personal causes. 

The debate continues, and we manage to pass the second bill which is a first in this virtual Dewan Rakyat council. It is an honour to serve as an MP in TLMUN 2020, Hope we could get back into the physical MUN where all the real actions happen. I want to thank my Kak Long Speaker, Amirah and Deputy Speaker, Akshel, for leading the virtual Dewan Rakyat. A big shoutout to all the MPs, especially my Pakatan Harapan MPs! 

Congratulations to Chris, Ke Wen and the TLMUN 2020 team! 

This is Kar Marn, representing YB Hannah Yeoh, MP of Segambut (PH) from Dewan Rakyat signing off! 

MUN Reunion: Melaka Day Out (7/8/2020)

It's been a long 11 months since I saw my MUN buddies. Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, we were stuck at home for almost three months since the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) on 18 March 2020. Now it is Recovery MCO (RMCO), we can get out of the house and have a cuti-cuti Malaysia, be it in our hometowns or travelling domestically. For Katelyn, it's a surprise visit from her MUN friends who are on a day trip to Melaka. 

Initially, I want to join them for lunch at the famous chicken rice ball shop along Jonker Street but lunch is served, you guess it, it's chicken rice too! After lunch, it's time to head to The Daily Fix for some afternoon tea. There is traffic congestion along the way, but manage to get there just in time. As I'm about to reach the cafe, I give Caylene a call. After my folks dropped me off, Caylene takes me inside, but before that, we have to fill up our names and contact number in adhering the SOPs. 

"Emily, Ke Wen, Gro Wen and Chris are inside," Caylene leads us to our seating spot. After settling down, I ordered a cup of iced chocolate to ward off the intense Melaka heat and take a bite of the leftover fries. We take a picture of the cafe's iconic plate decorations which have some Baba Nyonya elements. We head to Sun May Hiong Satay House to meet Chia Yong. 

When we have a table full of MUN-ers, MUN is not far away from our thoughts. In between, I lost count how many satay sticks I have eaten but it doesn't matter because satay is an all-time Malaysian favourite. We head for the second round of afternoon tea, unfortunately, one of the cafes is about to close as it is neared closing time, so we head to One Zo for milk tea. 

We can't simply end the day with Nyonya food right? We made a reservation dinner at Aunty Lee. Emily and I actually go crazy on the chap chye because, in The Little Nyonya, there is an iconic scene which featured the dish. Besides that, we also have pai tee (top hat) as an appetiser, ikan lemak nenas and fried chicken as the main course. We want to have cendol as a dessert but our tummies are super happy as we have been food hunting the whole day. There is always a next time. 

Looking forward to more day out like this, hopefully, we will do the same in KL as well! 

Locations: 

The Daily Fix Cafe 

Address: 55, Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Street), Malacca City

Sun May Hiong Satay House 

Address: 50/50A, Jalan Kota Laksamana 1/1 Taman Kota Laksamana Melaka 

One Zo 

Address: No-19, Jalan KPKS 5-A, Kompleks Perniagaan Al-azim, 75200 Kota Syahbandar, Malacca

Aunty Lee Restaurant 

Address: 385, Jalan Ujong Pasir, Taman Sinn, 75050 Melaka 

Comfort MUN 2020 (11/7/2020-12/7/2020)

After the first virtual international Model United Nations (MUN) at Momentum MUN, it's time to get comfortable for Comfort MUN 2020! What's more, I'm in the UNICEF council again, this time representing the Republic of Korea (ROK) with the topic on "Combatting Child Trafficking". I'm surprised at the statistics when I did my research on the country I'm delegating. 

As with the previous international MUN, the conference takes place in the comfort of our homes. A day before the council, my fellow delegates are really spicing up the topic. I want to talk more in the group chat but I'll save for the debate later on. 

I wanted to raise my topic on combatting child sex tourism, unfortunately, the other delegates are debating their topics instead so I might save it later. During the unmoderated caucus, I didn't have the chance to speak but the delegate of the United Kingdom is kind enough to notify since I was in line for so long. We have delegate social, where delegates from Comfort MUN get to know each other. We played a game of "matchmaking" which is another version of "Who'd You Rather?". 

I didn't join the midnight crisis as "energy" need to be restored, so I use the time to discuss the draft resolution with my fellow delegates. The second day of the council is firing up, which kind of made me wonder are we in a crisis council or a child-friendly council who we gather to fight for every child? To wrap things up, we want to merge our draft solutions as one but it didn't work out. In the end, the draft resolution that I worked with my fellow delegates failed, the other bloc passes.  

During the closing ceremony, we have a special guest, Mr Noah from the United Nations Associaton of Kenya. This time no award for me but being able to represent Malaysia at my second international MUN is the biggest honour of all! 

An award or not, it doesn't matter but the best award is that I get to play my role as a UNICEF ambassador in the council. I will continue to fight for every child. This is Kar Marn representing South Korea from UNICEF, signing off! 

International MUN: Momentum MUN 2020 (24/6/2020-25/6/2020)

After being in the Malaysian MUN for quite some time, I decided to shift my delegation at an international MUN - can you keep up with the momentum at Momentum MUN? For everyone who is representing our country, we have a duty to put the name of our country on the map at international events. As this is my first time representing Malaysia, the duty is on me. This marked my 10th conference in my MUN career - a special milestone.

The sign up for Momentum MUN was last-minute, I didn't have enough time to prepare the topic for my council- ECOSOC, delegating as Argentina. In my mind, the main goal was to make Malaysia proud and fly the flag and go with the flow along the way. After I came back from university online class, I head to google meet to have a chat with fellow delegates from the Philippines, India and the host - Indonesia. Delegates were asked to log on to Zoom to have a small ice-breaking session before heading to serious business. 

Usually, after my speech, if I have extra time, I will yield my time back to the chair; also another reason is I don't want to get tongue-tied in council. But the chairs insisted, I should take a POI (Point of Information), although I was reluctant, I couldn't let Malaysia down as I was the sole bearer in the council. Keeping calm, I took the question from the delegate of South Africa. I left an hour early on the first day but my fellow delegates kept me up with the latest development on the draft resolution. 

On the second day, the delegates decided to form a big bloc since we all shared the same views. At one point, the delegate of Germany got a little emotional on his speech. The good news was we passed our resolution! Since we were an hour away from the virtual closing ceremony, we had an entertainment session. 

There was a confession page for our council, the chairs read out our confession. when my message was read, there was a little misunderstanding of the language as Malaysia and Indonesia share almost the same national language which is Bahasa Melayu. The delegate of South Africa graced with an amazing singing voice! The delegate of Japan set up a Skribble game, our drawing was put to the test. Not an artistic person myself, honestly. 

I didn't go to the virtual closing ceremony, as I had a university event to attend so I gotta prepared for that. I received the news that I got a verbal mention, making the country proud! Nonetheless, I'm proud to represent Malaysia at Momentum MUN and hope to represent the country at future international MUN, bringing the Malaysia Boleh spirit.  

A big thank you to the Momentum MUN team! 

The Surprise Comeback: UNAM Youth Assembly Conference (13/6/2020-14/6/2020)

On 8 September 2019, I marked my final journey in the Model United Nations (MUN) scene and went into "retirement" to focus on my university studies. The first question you might ask "Are you completely cut off from the Malaysian UN scene?" My answer was no, I would be involved in UN-related activities but coming back to the scene, it was a mystery. 

Due to the coronavirus, the mass gatherings are strictly a no-no, everything is taken online. Delegates, may I present to you the Youth Assembly Conference (YCA) organised by United Nations Association Malaysia (UNAM) Youth! A week before the event, we had a pre-conference online workshop. Fresh out of retirement after nine months, some of the details need to be refreshed especially on the consultation of the whole. 

The day of the conference has come, I log on to the Discord app to attend the very first virtual MUN of the year. We have a keynote opening speech, from the UNAM Youth president, Rehan. Delegates have to "move" to "meeting room 1" for the conference. In the physical MUN, we are usually assigned to a country that we are representing, make an opening speech and state on the country's policies, what can delegates hope for the outcome at the end of the conference. 

  Similarly to physical MUN, but this time we are representing ourselves as Malaysia's youths on how can we help the Rohingya refugees despite facing the COVID-19 pandemic. We focus on issues such as education, work permits, healthcare etc. I work alongside newcomers on the MUN scene, and some of them ask me what advice I could give to newcomers? I don't have much to give but all I could say is observe and listen to what other delegates might present during the debate, if we have a strong point, fight it back diplomatically. 

At the end of the first day, we created a group to discuss further on the topic. The second and final day, we spent an hour on how to make our points stronger. The debate is firing up with more passion as compared to the first day. I bring up a motion on "Xenophobic behaviour towards refugees in Malaysia" but it failed. Never mind, we have other topics to discuss on. We "failed" the model resolution. 

UNAM Youth is honoured to invite to Mr John and Mr Islam on their views on the Rohingya refugees, as well as from our UNAM Youth president himself, Rehan. We end the day by playing a game on Jackbox TV, but I preferred Kahoot! Although this virtual MUN is amazing, I'm hoping to come back to the physical Model United Nations anytime soon when this pandemic is over. 

This is Kar Marn, delegate of Youth Assembly, signing off! 

FairMUN 2019: The Final MUN Journey (6/9/19-8/9/19)

It's time to head back to the MUN scene! This time it is FairMUN, last year it was my third MUN of the year and now this is the final journey. I was late for the first day as I had internship briefing on campus. When I arrived at Fairview International School, the registration hall was empty, I guessed all the delegates were in the hall waiting for the opening ceremony.

I was escorted by one of the secretariats. I came out from the lift and I was greeted by Aliff! He gave me a big hug, "Hi Katelyn, it's been a year since I saw you!" he said. The hall had changed so much! The last time I came was just an empty hall and a few chairs, now it transformed into an auditorium! Delegates were seated at the top, while the chairs, admins and the FairMUN team were in front. Before the opening ceremony began, I took a picture with the big screen behind me.

Once all the delegates settled down, the emcees came on the stage to greet everyone a warm welcome, followed by a welcoming speech by Dr Vincent Tan, the principal of Fairview International School. After a few talks from invited keynote speakers, it's time to head to our respective councils. Surprisingly, most of the councils were located on the same floor as the hall.

An ice-breaking session in the Press Corps to ease the atmosphere. When it's my turn to introduce myself, I briefly told my fellow journalists what my news agency, The Star, was about. There were eight to nine councils, so each of us had to choose which council that we wanted to go and observe all the actions.

I chose none other than ECOSOC, cause that was the council I was in last year's FairMUN. I was given the green light by the admins of the council, "Delegates, we have the journalist of The Star from Press Corps," Tuck and Gordon, the chair and co-chair of the council informed the delegates. I was given a chair and table to write all my juicy news and took pictures which will be sent to the live updates via a WhatsApp group chat.

I was interviewing the delegates in ECOSOC on the topics they were discussing, Ahnaf, the chair of Press Crops, dropped by to check on our progress at our chosen council. In mid-interview, there was a power cut out, but after that everything was just fine.

We were summoned back to our office and give an update of our progress. That's the end of the first day! As I was heading to the lift, I bumped into Chia Yong, my Melaka MUN buddy, and Ernest (the Sherlock Holmes of MUN) while passing by IAEA council, I gave both of them a big hug.

On the second day, I was switched to the United Nations Human Rights (UNHRC). The council was located on the second floor and it's in the library. The delegates of Canada and Iran were debating at the moment, so I "sneaked" my way in. I was writing all the important points, suddenly I got a note from the delegate of Iran that he would like to have an interview. Wow, that was a first! I did ask the chairs for some delegates to have an interview with. Not long after, it's time to head back to office cause a model press conference was about to take place.

The first two councils were UNODC and UNWTO. For UNWTO, I asked the delegate of North Korea how is he and the delegate of South Korea were going to implement SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, in both countries and really cracked the journalists up during their mini-debate time. When it's IAEA's turn to have the press conference, somehow Chia Yong sneaked in and posed as the journalists of The Guardian. And I got a shot of my co-chair, Caylene, was giving the "real" look to Chia Yong.

It's dinner time, after all, three conferences that were held today, sure made my tummy hungry! We were at the table talking about the actions that happened in our respective council today. After dinner, we headed to the basketball to have some pictures before socials. The school's official photographer also came in to take our pictures as well. Gabriel and I had one-on-one BFF movie time watching Spiderman: Into the Verse. 

I came out from the party room, cause the movie was buffering due to low Internet connection. One of the secretariats Ryan, asked me "Did you enjoy the party?" I said "Yes, yes I did!" my shoe came off, I had a Cinderella moment when he helped to put my shoe back on. The moment was caught on camera! For the first time ever, I partied all my heart out! Usually, I would sit in the corner and chilled out. I left the party early because I had to write up some "breaking news" on the councils I visited today.

On the third and final day, the last three councils came into our office for the press conference which was EU, DISEC and UNHRC. Especially the delegate of Iran in UNHRC, he kinda spiced up our office after the Q & A session, that's when the delegates from each council up can "fire" at each other. It was fun to watch!

After the last press conference, it's a MUN tradition for delegates to go around the office to have their signatures signed on each other's plaque cards. While waiting for the closing ceremony, we played a game of Kahoot! which tested our general knowledge and national flags from all over the world, cause when you're in Model United Nations, you have to know these as a basic.

I headed over to ECOSOC where it was opposite of the Press Crops office, I signed the delegates' plaque cards from other councils and I got a candid shot of picture from Sharlize on my phone. Not long after we were given the green light for the closing ceremony. This is it! The final journey of MUN is about to begin. The IT crew presented video highlights throughout the three days as well as photos. The best of all, I got a verbal mention!

My MUN journey had finally come to an end, I'm gonna miss all my friends who I met throughout the MUN career. That doesn't mean I'm going to be completely cut off from the scene, but I'm going to involve in UN activities.

Sunway Model UN 2019 (12/7/19-14/7/19)

It's examination season for Sunway University students, but for Katelyn, she's juggling both Why? It's the yearly SUNMUN conference 2019! At first, I'm hesitated that whether I should forgo or stay at home studying for my finals? It's really a tough decision for me. I can't even choose! At a certain point, I decide to go for both! It's my final year in university, I have to support the SUNMUN team one way or another.

Before we head into real business, I forgot to tell you about my council. I'm in the Dewan Rakyat (DR), playing YB Tony Pua, MP of Damansara. Yes, the Malaysian Parliament! Sounds exciting right? Okay, let's get back where we left off. Like I mentioned above, I'm having mid exam indulgence, while waiting for my fellow MPs to arrive. I settle at the foyer to flip through the notes of the final paper, which I'm having on Monday.

We head up to the corridor of the JC auditoriums to sign ourselves up. After collecting the tags and door gift, we head back down again to meet up with other delegates to discuss on the topics that will be debating later on. AS we head back up for the opening ceremony, the corridor is filled with delegates and we are given the green light to settle ourselves in.

The ceremony starts with opening remarks from Sunway College Pre-U director, Ms. Cheng Mien Wee. I'm introduced to the delegates in the room as I'm the only university student who is representing the SUNMUN team. After a short speech from our Secretary Generals, Nicholas Sim and Leo Larkin, with the bang of the guvnor, it's time for SUNMUN 2019!

Under the escorts of the admins, we head to level 5, that's where most of the councils are being held. As I'm representing the PH government, my side is on the right side while the opposition is on the left, just like in real Parliament setting.

As we are debating, we are interrupted by the MP of Bagan Datuk, and I have to play the whipper at one point to make sure that peace is maintained in Parliament. When it is my turn to present, "Before I'm interrupted by the MP of Bagan Datuk..." I emphasise that we as the MPs of the country are here as one to raise the concerns of the people of Malaysia.

At 7.00pm, that's the debate of day one of council. I make my way to the foyer, I bump into my junior, Victoria! Well, a mini high school reunion on the first day of SUNMUN! On the second day of council, we resume with debate, but this time it gets spicier! The "worst part" of council is that we have "no confident" vote. Eventually, the PM "sacked" the Ministry of Defence and Mimister of Law. We have "a change of government" in SUNMUN, and now we become the opposition.

In mid council, the House of Commons MPs come in as they are having their "general election" to persuade delegate in each council to vote which party that they are confident in. I can't remember which HOC MP mentions about our Malaysian palm oil. Anyway, it's fun seeing them pulling votes from council to council. And one thought: Why DR didn't do that?

When you're at MUN conferences, it's tradition to attend socials! We have an opening act from our talented secretariat team, and a two songs from Guan Yu and me- which are Disney classics!

The third and final day with PH as the "opposition" and BN as the "new government" with the MP of Rembau as the PM. In mid council, Ethan and Belle who play the roles of PM and DPM respectively, suddenly switch to Anwar Ibrahim and Rafizi Ramli! Wow! That's a quick change of roles! With Ryan joining us as the MP of Sungai Petani, it gets so much better!

In the end we failed the "model Bill". This is how Malaysian politics works. Although I'm always try to keep my standpoints neutral at all times, we didn't even realise that we a part of politics all the time. Well, now I know now! Council ends and we have each other signatures and social media accounts to keep in touch.

Before the closing ceremony, we have Subway for lunch. That kind of reminded me at last year's SUNMUN, I guess history repeats itself. There is a slight delay of the closing ceremony, while waiting, we just hang around and talk about what happen today in our respective councils.

The closing ceremony starts with a slide show of the events that happened throughout these three days. When it comes to DR, the whole MP cheer on. After that it is the award ceremony! For DR, we have MPs of Kemanis, Gombak and Rembau for having the best delegate awards! Upcoming MUNs are introduced and with a one last bang, SUNMUN 2019 is officially over!

Although I didn't win an award, SUNMUN is placed second as group delegation after IIUM. That's an achievement, at least we win something at "home grounds".  The closing ceremony after-party with delegates mingling around taking pictures and exchanging each others' social media account, as well as having individual feedback from their respective chairs. As for me, I need to brush up my research skills!

I wanna give a huge shoutout to all the MPs in the Dewan Rakyat council, you guys did amazing! And a shoutout to Tuan Speaker, Ryan, and Deputy Tuan Speaker, Chia Yong, for leading the council and having faith in every MP. To my "boss", Thesya, thank you for being the best "boss" ever! To Ethan and Belle, thank you for guiding fellow PH MPs as Tun M and Dr. Wan Azizah respectively.

I can say that despite having my last paper on Monday, SUNMUN is definitely the best way to get away from the mid-exam indulgence. I wanna congratulate to Nicholas and the SUNMUN team on the success of the event! This maybe my last SUNMUN, but I'll continue to support the team!

Malaysia National Model United Nations 2019 (5/4/19-7/4/19)

This was where my passion began for Model United Nations (MUN), the Malaysia National Model United Nations (MNMUN). I'm off for the day from university, so that saves time spending hours on campus just to wait. Why not tune in to YouTube for a an episode of Mamak Sessions with JinnyBoy?

My mum drops me off at Sunway International School (SIS), that is where the opening ceremony will be held. As I  make my way to collect my door gift, Zi En recognises me "Kar Marn, do you still remember me?" Yes, I definitely do! We were in the same UNICEF council back in Reform MUN in March. I settle down in my seat to make myself comfortable. I look around the room, most of the delegates are so much younger than me. I have a nostalgic feeling because I'm one of the oldest delegates in the hall.

This brought me back to my very first MUN last year, it was the 2018 edition of MNMUN. I was a first time delegate back then, I didn't feel that I was one of the oldest delegates because some were even older than I am, so I was a bit secured at that point. Back to MNMUN 2019! I saw my friend, Sara, who is sitting across the room. I haven't seen her since we last saw each other at the UN SDG 3rd anniversary celebration.

I get up from my seat and move from across the room, sitting next to Sara. The hall is filling up with delegates. The opening ceremony starts at 4.00pm, starting with the opening remarks from the principal of SIS. Follow by the video presentation of each council, next up we have the brainchild behind Sunway Model United Nations (SUNMUN), Jack. I want to highlight that Jack mentions in his speech, the MUN scene was not as professional as before. He said that he witnessed some of the delegates were being bullied or receiving harassment in council. At one point, it just hits me, and he hopes that the delegates sitting here will not repeat the same mistake. Keep it professional and diplomatic, create life long friendships.

Under the escorts of the admins, delegates move from SIS back to Sunway College for the first council session of the day. It's raining but that didn't dampen my spirits, and luckily I'm wearing pants so somehow it makes the journey easier when walking back to campus.

I'm the Malaysian Youth Council (MYC), representing myself as a Malaysian youth. My chair Kishan, is a absent on the first day. The co-chair Izabelle takes charge of the council. Our first topic is Women Empowerment while the second topic is Race Relations- an issue that the country is still facing today. Personally I want to work on race relations, as women empowerment is a common issue that the world is tackling right now.

Since everyone is keen on Women Empowerment, we just have to follow on majority. In HMUN procedure, we are put on the General Speakers List (GSL). I go off topic a little, but quickly I'm back on track. The debate adjourns at 7.30pm. I'm waiting for my parents to pick up at the university side. I talk to first-timers, Khemi and Ji Xian who are in MYC and DISEC respectively. "Do you have any tips for first-timers?" they ask.

Wow, that's a first! "I don't have any tips for first-timers but it's the best to observe other delegates and pay attention to their points closely. Maybe you'll find some points to debate. Be confident!" I say. "That's the best advice! Thank you so much, Katelyn!" 

The second day of council, we are still on the topic of Women Empowerment. Before that, our chair, Kishan, has a little interactive session before debate is resumed. In mid council, it just gets interesting! Kishan pulls out the Jalur Gemilang from his bag, the council starts to sing the Malaysian national anthem "Negaraku". "I want you all to represent yourself, fight for the country you are in!" he says. Kishan places the flag in front of the council to remind delegates that we are fighting for our beloved country, Malaysia, as young Malaysian youths.

A resolution is passed and now we are moving on the topic that everyone is keen on: Race Relations. The topic is on fire, as this topic is Malaysia still facing today. What can we do as young Malaysians to unite the people of Malaysia? That we can think over lunch time. I hang out with Ji Xian, Khemi and my new friends from DISEC. We dine at Thyme Out- a Mexican restaurant. Jo and I kind of slack off from the gang, Ji Xian and Khemi come back to look for us.

Ji Xian is so considerate that he opens his umbrella to ward the three of us off from the intensive heat. Along the way, we talk about our interests, studies, hobbies and especially age. "Actually Katelyn, you are 22 years young, not old!" Ji Xian says, my heart melts! He is a sweet talker! A quick bite from our lunch, we head back to our respective council to continue the debate which we left off earlier.

After all that debate, it's time for socials! It's tradition in every MUN conference, where delegate can mingle with each other, enjoying good food and music at the same time. We have performances from Taylor's University Music Club! I didn't stay until the end as I'm too tired throughout the day.

On the third and final day, our topic on Race Relations is still on going. We are interrupted in mid debate cause there's a photo session for each council. We head up to the forth floor, where the college rooftop garden is located. I have the chance to drape on to the Jalur Gemilang, I feel a sense of pride and glory.

For the first time in a MUN conference, a debate is suspended which means we cannot come to a conclusion but nonetheless we have done the best to solve the issue of race relations. Prior to the closing ceremony, we have a little interactive session. After that, Kishan asks any one in this room is a Sunway student. I raise up my hand. "Do you know where JC 3 is?" he asks, "Yes, yes I do. It is at the university side," I say.

The closing ceremony begins with a slide shows of upcoming MUNs such as Taylor's, Monash, and of course our very own, SUNMUN! I'm kind of hesitant a little as the dates of the conference clash with my examination period. Awards are given out to delegates for best, outstanding, and best position paper award. The moment we have been waiting for, the best group delegation! Monash takes home as the best group delegation, follow by Taylor's University. Well, I hope Sunway will get one in future MUNs.

We collect the certificates on our way out and I lost my flag! Luckily it is retrieved after that. We have our very own photo session to mark the special day. MNMUN holds a special place in my heart because it was very first MUN. I'm off for a break, I'll make a comeback soon!