BACK in 2018, ahead of the 14th General Election (GE14), Kleptopoly: The Board Game was designed and launched by the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Centre) to educate the public on issues of money laundering, asset declaration and kleptocracy.
Kleptopoly was inspired by events during the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal that had gripped Malaysian politics at that time – the gravity of this scandal culminated in Malaysians voting out former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, a symbolic victory for the Reformasi movement that sought to break the cycle of money politics and corruption that had been plaguing the nation for decades.
For his role in the 1MDB scandal, Najib was sentenced to imprisonment, with the Federal Court upholding the verdict in August 2022.
While Kleptopoly remains an invaluable educational tool and an entertaining game, the political contexts on which it was based have changed vastly over the last four years.
Besides that, with multiple changes in Government administrations having taken place and the ever-shifting allegiances of politicians, 1MDB no longer remains the attention-grabbing issue it once was.
With the 15th General Elections (GE15) right around the corner, certain questions become crucial:
- What factors should voters base their decisions on?
- How can voters make a change even after the elections?
Considering that this also happens to be the first general election since the legal voting age was reduced to 18 years, there exists a huge number of individuals exercising their right to vote for the first time ever – and it is important that they understand their role in the democratic system and where their people power could be directed.
In a similar vein to Kleptopoly, C4 Centre’s latest release, Build My-Town, is yet another way to learn about good governance and anti-corruption in an entertaining way.
Your constituency, your responsibility
In Build My-Town, every player acts as an MP in charge of a constituency. The goal of each player is to improve their constituency by building developments on it, ranging from small amenities such as public toilets to mega-projects such as solar farms.
These developments are purchased using the in-game currency, money cards. But here’s the catch: players have the choice to use money obtained transparently and legally (clean money) or money from illegal and unethical sources (dirty money).
Besides the main goal of building developments for each MP’s/player’s constituency, another main mechanic of the game is in its “reform cards”. Players can choose to table “reforms” that other players can vote on, much like real-life Parliamentary voting, with these “reforms” having significant impacts on gameplay.
In keeping with the educational theme of the game, these “reforms” mirror those advocated for in reality as well, such as the Political Funding Bill and repealing the Official Secrets Act 1972.
These and other features of gameplay promise an experience that is both highly entertaining as well as educational for everyone, regardless of your level of political knowledge!
Furthermore, it is the C4 Centre’s hope that in playing Build My-Town, players will develop a curiosity for the many reforms needed to improve Malaysia that many groups and individuals often call for.
In light of this, players will not only make the best choice during the upcoming general election – i.e. by voting for parties that will be able to deliver important reforms – but also continue speaking up in support of reforms to whichever administration emerges victorious from the elections.
Build My-Town is now available for sale on C4 Centre’s website, with physical sales beginning next Thursday (Nov 10). – Nov 5, 2022
All photos are credited to the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism
