Three Malaysian delegates—Aeshah Karim, Rumandawii, and Faris—recently participated in the Wikimedia Regional Conference for East, Southeast Asia and the Pacific (ESEAP) 2026 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, returning with strategic insights to advance digital free knowledge initiatives. The conference underscored critical themes in cultural preservation and technological innovation, with Aeshah emphasizing the decolonization of species terminology and the necessity of improving national information literacy. Concurrently, Rumandawii, a Kadazandusun language educator, drew inspiration from youth-driven Wiki Clubs to outline plans for localized language-preservation workshops, while Faris successfully spotlighted the integration of sign language into Wikimedia projects and explored AI-driven data management through Wikidata. Ultimately, the international gathering highlighted the efficacy of regional collaboration, motivating the Malaysian representatives to leverage community engagement and emerging technologies to make open-source knowledge more accessible and inclusive.

Writer: Zahirul Nukman, Communications, Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia

​Pada 2 Mei 2026, Kumpulan Komuniti Pengguna Wikimedia Malaysia dengan kerjasama Persatuan Kebudayaan Dusun Bundu Sabah telah melakar sejarah dalam usaha pemeliharaan bahasa menerusi penganjuran Bengkel Wikikamus Bahasa Dusun Bundu di Pusat Pendidikan Etnik Ranau, Sabah. Program pendigitalan bahasa ini mencatatkan kejayaan membanggakan apabila 25 peserta daripada pelbagai lapisan umur berjaya merekodkan 777 lema perbendaharaan kata baharu serta lebih 200 sebutan audio melalui platform Lingua Libre, sekali gus memecahkan sasaran awal yang ditetapkan. Walaupun program tersebut sempat digemparkan dengan insiden penemuan ular yang memerlukan pemantauan pihak Jabatan Bomba dan Penyelamat Malaysia (JBPM), bengkel berkenaan berjaya disempurnakan dengan matlamat utamanya untuk memartabatkan dan memelihara warisan bahasa Dusun di platform digital terbuka tercapai.

Penulis asal: Wiki Farazi

The Iban Wikipedia has officially commemorated its first anniversary, following its launch on October 14, 2024, reaching a milestone of 1,940 published articles. After a 14-year developmental phase in the Wikimedia Incubator, the platform's expansion has been primarily driven by continuous translation efforts and community outreach programs designed to recruit new editors. Key educational initiatives, including the WikiTour 2.0 workshop at IPG Rajang and an anniversary editing event at SMK Bukit Assek in Sibu, have successfully trained participants to contribute dozens of new Wikipedia articles and Malay Wiktionary lemmas. Looking ahead, community contributors aim to diversify the platform's content across disciplines such as science and technology, working to elevate the Iban language as a recognized medium of global knowledge.

This diff is available in Deutsch, English, Jaku Iban, and Bahasa Melayu.

Writer:  Song GK, Iban Wikipedia Admin

​Almost a year after winning the International Green Gown Awards for our indigenous language preservation project, Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia was invited to present on indigenous lifeways and biodiversity at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan on 30th August 2025.

Malay Wikipedia administrator PeaceSeekers recently participated in "The World Destubathon," a global Wikipedia editing competition held from June 16 to July 13. Despite time constraints from a concurrent internship, PeaceSeekers successfully expanded 26 STEMM-related stub articles on the English Wikipedia, focusing primarily on obscure, endangered, and medically significant botanical species such as the Bornean Melicope sororia. By leveraging a formal background in biochemistry to navigate rigorous English scientific writing and translate foreign-language references, PeaceSeekers was officially recognized by the event organizer as the leading STEMM writer for the final two weeks of the contest. Supported by Wikimedia UK and the Open Knowledge Association (OKA), the experience successfully bridged the editor's academic expertise with digital knowledge sharing and has inspired their ongoing commitment to the broader 50,000 Destubbing Challenge.

Writer: PeaceSeekers

Following a recent Wikisource Conference in Denpasar, Bali, Wikimedia contributor PeaceSeekers highlighted the growing technical synergy between Wikisource and Wikidata as a transformative step for digital archiving. The integration offers multiple advanced capabilities, including text annotation via the Annotate QID template for contextual reading, and structural linking using the Wikidata Book Model to dynamically organize complex metadata. Furthermore, this bilateral linkage enables precise lexical referencing for historical dictionaries and the cross-referencing of intertextual quotes—such as tracing Persian excerpts or Islamic hadiths found in classical Malay manuscripts like the Sulalatus Salatin back to their primary origins. Highlighting a beta reading application developed by the Indian Wikisource community that operates entirely on queried Wikidata metadata via API, the report underscores how integrating these platforms can significantly enhance the accessibility, contextual depth, and functional potential of open-source historical texts.

Writer: ​PeaceSeekers

The WikiKata initiative, spearheaded by the Wikimedia Community User Group Malaysia (WCUGM) in collaboration with the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and other national agencies, has garnered international recognition for its efforts to preserve endangered indigenous languages. Through an immersive, community-based framework, the project deploys student volunteers to rural settlements to train indigenous groups, such as the Mendriq and Kensiu tribes, in documenting their native languages on digital platforms like Wiktionary and Wikipedia. This collaborative approach to sustainable capacity-building earned WikiKata the International Green Gown Award 2024 for Student Engagement and formal acknowledgment at the UNU-IAS RCE Awards 2024. Bolstered by institutional funding and comprehensive media coverage, the initiative is actively expanding its digital preservation footprint through nationwide school competitions and upcoming outreach programs targeting the Jakun community.

Writer: EmpAhmadK

​Wikimedia contributor PeaceSeekers outlined strategic guidelines for maximizing remote participation in global events such as Wikimania 2024. The comprehensive framework advises virtual attendees to formally register via Meta-Wiki to ensure access to interactive platforms and inclusion in official attendance metrics, while carefully curating their viewing schedules based on time zones and relevance. During the conference, participants are encouraged to utilize detailed note-taking and actively network through dedicated online channels, such as official Telegram groups, to foster global community engagement. To ensure long-term impact post-conference, the author recommends reviewing archived sessions on the Wikimedia Foundation's YouTube channel, initiating strategic follow-up discussions with local Wikimedia chapters, and amplifying key takeaways across professional and social media platforms to further drive the movement's open-knowledge initiatives.