Congratulations to malaysiakini on your sixth birthday. It was great to see it start on the eve of the 1999 general election and it's even better to know that not only is malaysiakini still around today, it has since become an increasingly important source of information and opinion for Malaysians who are concerned about the state of their nation.

Despite the relentless efforts of those who fear an informed and enlightened rakyat, this premier source of Malaysian news continues to speak the truth.

Of course, there are still many battles to be won, so it's good to know that all right-thinking Malaysians have malaysiakini on their side. Many have referred to this online news site as an "alternative" media, but I disagree.

It is, in fact, the only credible news media organisation around. Its role is especially important in this age of Media Prima's media monopoly. And instead of looking out for its readers, the print newspapers have been largely party to the injustices, incompetence, corruption and many of the other ills that plague Malaysia today.

Something else we have on our side is technology. Like how the Web made malaysiakini possible, I believe many new technologies are emerging that will make information less the monopoly of the powerful, whether governments or corporations.

In his editorial , Steven Gan mentioned podcasting and blogs, and being a big advocate of technology as a tool to create social, political and economical change, I find the endless possibilities exciting.

It's exciting to know that it's possible to bypass the government-corporate juggernaut to reach Malaysians at large (well, at least those who can afford the necessary equipment). Imagine watching as you commute home from work, a malaysiakini video podcast or listening to regular podcasts of opposition ceramahs that the media has tried so hard to stifle.

But the Internet and its accompanying technologies cannot create change on their own. Infrastructure alone is meaningless, as can be seen by projects like the Multimedia Super Corridor. It's what people do with what they have, and not the size of their tool that matters.

And that is why malaysiakini, a company that started small on staff, money and resources but big on heart, deserves accolades on its sixth birthday. So congrats, and more importantly, thank you. Simply for keeping us informed.