COMMENT On Oct 1, a High Court judge ruled that Malaysiakini , which was established as an independent online news site during the reformasi movement in 1999, should be allowed to enter the print news market.

Malaysiakini.com has been consistently critical of the government since its creation, and the decision by the High Court justice overruled the Home Ministry's verdict, which denied Malaysiakini a print newspaper permit.

While the government can still appeal and the home minister will still need to concur with the judge's decision, this ruling may give rise to the creation of other media ventures in Malaysia.

The lawyer for Malaysiakini said: "It should open the floodgates for more publications in Malaysia. Anybody should be allowed to publish." As such, many see the ruling as a victory for press freedom in the country.

The recent history of independent journalism ventures in Malaysia is not particularly bright ...