Miss Universe Malaysia 2015 Pageant national director explains criteria needed to win the crown .... Not Good Enough To Just Be A Pretty Face..

Pageant national director explains criteria needed to win the crown

BY KELLY TEY

Ng [second from left] with second-place winner, Natalia and third-place winner, May Salitah Naru Kiob (left) after being crowned Miss Universe Malaysia 2013. Looking on is fourth-place winner, Symren Kaur (right). - filepic

 

For the 17 finalists of Miss Universe Malaysia 2015, the journey is every bit as important as the crown.

According to Miss Universe Malaysia Organisation (Mumo) national director Carey Ng, each of the women deserve to have their own stories told for the distinctive qualities they bring to the table.

“This year, it is hard to gauge completely as we’ve got such a variety of personalities that could well be the ideal Malaysian identity.

“That’s why the programme will be slightly different from previous years. We decided to give them all more training and opportunities,” said Ng.

However, she said the pageant’s objective would not stray from that of the previous years.

“Every year our goal is similar. We are always striving to pick the right girl, someone with the potential to really promote the Malaysian culture and identity to the world,” she remarked.

“We want someone that is celebrated here, someone that Malaysians can relate to.”

Ng said her team narrowed down the list to audition roughly 100 girls.

The selection process, which started in June, took a few more rounds of filtering before it was shortlisted to the existing 17.

“We interviewed the 100 girls and took the time to really profile them to see how much they can truly represent the country.

“We weighed many aspects including public speaking abilities, socialising skills, body proportion,” stated Ng.

“It was tough to choose because there was no formula to this. They have such interesting stories and we want the public to see who they are beyond photographs,” she added.

She has hopes that people will come to understand being a beauty queen is about the bigger picture.

Ng, who was Miss Universe Malaysia 2013, said that it was always more than just looks.

“It is not just about being pretty, it’s everything. It’s how the girls work hard, things they go through and what they learn that make them who they are,” expressed Ng.

Serving as a mentor and coach to the candidates, Ng believes the best way to guide them is to impart her experience and ultimately, to let them be independent.

“We’re in the midst of filming the competition now and the girls are being tested in every single way possible,” stated Ng.

“This includes fitness, we expect them to be super fit and healthy; public speaking, they ought to be like a politician — diplomatic but not controversial yet are able to press on issues that matter.

“Personality-wise, they should be interesting and larger than life, and in terms of beauty — far more beautiful than the average person,” Ng explained of the strict competition standards.

She added that an integral part of the competition focused also on the finalists’ ability to cope as well as comprehend and apply their training.

“Every individual has different kinds of potential. It is not about what I want them to be, but they being the best they can become.

“I want all of them to do well, no matter where their journey ends,” said Ng, noting that each person has their own strength, character, spirit and passion — traits that are waiting to be fully unlocked.

“The brilliant part about the pageant is that it can really ‘make’ a person,” she quipped.

Ng does not deny the stiffer competition this time around, but she is confident with the finalists.

“Every year, you only get about a handful of candidates who are extremely driven, but this year, more than half of them are and this is interesting to see,” she observed.

“The candidates are really strong this year,” Ng continued, saying that viewers will have to watch the show to know what she means.

The journey of the finalists will be told in 10 webisodes that will be aired on Mumo’s official YouTube channel, starting in the second week of February next year, followed by six episodes that will be broadcasted on 8TV in mid-March.

It will include the finalists’ intensive training sessions, their preparations as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.