The defamation suits filed against award winning blogger Jeff Ooi and veteran journalist Ahirudin Attan have forced Malaysians to think about where they are going.

With grand celebrations in the pipelines for their 50th anniversary of independence from British colonial rule, they may in fact have very little cause to celebrate.

Once one of the ‘Asian Tigers’, Malaysia is showing signs of sluggishness and stress. Voices of discontent which have not found a place in the conventional media have emerged with ferocity on the world wide web. The new media and its advocates find themselves in unchartered waters.