Three journalists and a webmaster. That was how malaysiakini began six years ago on Nov 20. Mind you, the lone webmaster - no, webmistress to be exact - was a 19-year-old teen.

The past six years have been truly a wild and rocky ride for us. To some people, we are nothing but traitors. To others, we are pesky homegrown Don Quixotes. Countless police reports have been made against malaysiakini . Not to mention, the infamous raid on our office two years ago.

But who's complaining? After all, we took on this project with our eyes wide open. We knew from Day One that it would be a thankless task.

Still, we have emerged from these episodes much stronger, wiser and with our resolution unbroken. We have yet to complete our mission. There is more to be done.

Coming along thus far we, too, have made our fair share of mistakes. For that, we apologise. Granted, at times, we have failed to meet the demands expected of us.

But malaysiakini alone cannot bring about democracy. No doubt, the Internet can, and has, made a difference. We have proven that. But to bring change to a nation as complex and diverse as Malaysia requires the combined might of our media, political parties, civil society and citizens.

That mission should not be left to malaysiakini alone - enfant terrible or not.

Though we have grown substantially from our four-person guerilla outfit, we are still hampered by the lack of resources - both human and financial. Despite that, we are now publishing in three languages - English, Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese - a first in Malaysia.

We have also made tentative forays into webcasting through Malaysiakini.tv as broadband access slowly gains traction.

Reinventing ourselves

But great challenges remain. And they are not just from a government that brooks little dissent.

Journalism as we know it is no more. We are in the midst of a mind-boggling technological revolution. Journalists like us, whether we like it or not, will have to reinvent ourselves to remain relevant to the public we have vowed to serve.

Only a few years ago, traditional journalism was threatened by online journalism, the likes of malaysiakini . Now, malaysiakini itself is being challenged by a new breed of online denizens - citizen journalists and bloggers.

Soon, there will be even newer challenges, such as podcasting and webcasting. These new technologies are already in the hands of those who have something to say, and even those who have nothing to say.

The professionals among us will have to accept that citizens are not just passive consumers of news, but also participants in the process of news gathering. Journalism, according to the 'guru' of new media Dan Gillmor, is no longer a lecture but a conversation.

At the same time, citizen journalists can learn from the professionals regarding the ethics of protecting of our sources and the need to double-check facts.

As such, malaysiakini is introducing changes next year to give our readers greater interactivity. This will be done without sacrificing the core principles of journalism - accuracy, truth and fairness.

We will also be announcing an exclusive deal with Wall Street Journal Online , through which our readers can access the world's largest paid subscription site at a steep discount. This will be the first among many such alliances.

Get on board folks

When malaysiakini was launched on Nov 20, 1999, the website's co-founders tacitly gave themselves five years for the project. We are already into our sixth year.

That we have survived this far is remarkable. But we have not just survived. We have, in our own little ways, contributed to much needed reforms in Malaysia.

Indeed, when malaysiakini first went live, some of these reforms were unheard of - such as the need to keep police brutality, corruption and abuse of power in check. Now that reform is the talk of the town, we must continue to press on to ensure that the powers-that-be walk the talk.

Clearly, we couldn't have done it without the faith and loyalty of you - the subscribers and supporters of malaysiakini .

The journey we embarked on six years ago continues. And we need you to come on board too.

For us, it is not just reaching our destination that matters. What's really important is when we do finally get there, we should be able to say, "We did it together."