A heavy downpour and an ensuing chaotic traffic jam failed to stop about 1,000 friends and supporters of malaysiakini to attend the online news portal's fifth year anniversary dinner at Hotel Flamingo in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur last night.
The guests started arriving to the venue as early as 6pm and continued to stream into the packed grand ballroom before dinner started at 8.15pm.
The dinner, which included speeches by the website's co-founders Steven Gan and Premesh Chandran, also saw a riotous performance by comedy duo Jo Kukathas and Patrick Teoh from the Instant Caf Theater.
Both Kukathas and Teoh kept the audience in stitches with three sketches that parodied Malaysian politics. Lucky guests also walked away with gifts won in a raffle draw.
Anwar's message
There was also a special brief video message from former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim who was unable to attend the function.
The
five-minute message
- delivered in both Malay and English - was recorded at his residence in Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, last Wednesday.
"I would like to take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude to malaysiakini for the immense contribution to a free media in this country," he said.
"The democratic process will be rendered meaningless without the access to information. Malaysiakini has not only given an opportunity for us to express ourselves, it has also been
critical."
Anwar acknowledged that malaysiakini had given him "some very sound criticism".
"I take it in a responsible manner because that's how democracy works and operates. It is now the role for all concern Malaysians committed to the democratic and reform agenda to give all the support and encouragement possible to
malaysiakini
.
Anwar also thanked the entire "tribe" of malaysiakini for "their indefatigable commitment towards this reform agenda which begins with a free media".
Faces behind the names
During the dinner, editor-in-chief Gan took the opportunity to introduce the "women and men of malaysiakini ".
He called on the 25 website's staff and columnists to come forward on stage and honoured them for their dedication and hard work over the years.
Meanwhile, chief executive officer Chandran thanked all the fervent supporters of malaysiakini who had stood behind the independent media organisation.
He also pointed out that those attending the gala event came from various different background - from different political parties, numerous non-government organisations, foreign embassies and most importantly loyal readers of the website.
Chandran later introduced Sasa Vucinic, the managing director of Media Development Loan Fund (MDLF), an international venture capital which has taken a 29 percent stake in
malaysiakini
.
Sasa said that MDLF's philosophy was to invest only in "independent media companies that practice professional, balanced, responsible and fact-based journalism and have a commitment to the highest professional and editorial standards".
Editorial independence
"In our investment experience - this is the "winning formula" for decent financial returns in media industry, if one is searching for long-term investment strategy," he said.
"We have projects in 27 countries. In terms of numbers, our total investments amount to about US$40 million," he said.
He added that
malaysiakini's
independence was protected from MDLF by a memorandum of understand in which the venture capital had committed in writing that it would not interfere in online website's editorial policy.
At the end of the four-hour dinner, guests not only met and spoke to the faces behind names in malaysiakini , but were also given the assurance that malaysiakini will continue to do what it does best - to provide the news and views that matter.
