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Whoever comes to power, we will watch them
Published:  Mar 20, 2018 9:58 AM
Updated: 4:13 AM

COMMENT | The journey began in 2001. Nine years later, I chose to take a different path. But in 2013, I returned to the place where my heart belonged.

FOURTEEN years. That is how long I have been with Malaysiakini in total.

I am often asked what keeps me anchored to Malaysiakini. Is it the salary? NO! (Note the emphasis in capital letters).

Malaysiakini's staff would struggle to acquire an inflatable boat, let alone a yacht. I admit that is an exaggeration. We are not in the throes of destitution, nor are we frolicking in the lap of opulence.

The top bosses do not even have their own offices or secretaries unlike their counterparts in other organisations. This is because Malaysiakini believes in an open office concept where the staff is not segregated according to titles or divided by walls.

However, we find ‘Equanimity’ in knowing that the reward of working with Malaysiakini cannot be quantified in dollars and cents.

So to the curious, I tell them that I am with Malaysiakini because I believe in press freedom, human rights, and other such non-profitable ideas.

But when the same question cropped up during dinner with friends last week, I decided to state the first and foremost reason - Steven Gan, one of the founders of Malaysiakini and its editor-in-chief.

I have not met a person more dedicated to his chosen craft.

To him, journalism is not a profession, it is a vocation. He believes in ethical and objective journalism as well as the need to provide a voice to the voiceless. This is not mere lip service. This man eats, sleeps, walks and breathes these beliefs.

Gan and Malaysiakini's co-founder Premesh Chandran could have cashed in on their success a long time ago after turning Malaysiakini into the nation's leading and most influential news portal.

But Gan is not driven by financial gratification as exemplified by his modest lifestyle, his lack of knowledge about designer labels (he has shirts in only two colours – blue and white), does not wear a watch and is completely clueless as to what a Hublot or Audemars Piguet is.

Over the 14 years, our relationship underwent numerous phases - from rough patches and arguments to mutual respect and friendship.

But no matter what phase our relationship was in, my admiration for his dedication, courage and steadfast principles had remained the same. He continues to inspire me and I continue to glean lessons from him, not only about journalism but about life itself.

Baptism of fire

I embarked on a career in journalism by accident. I was always passionate about books and words, but not news or politics. Authors and poets were the ones who captured my imagination, not journalists. But fate decreed that I land a job as a cadet journalist with a mainstream newspaper at the age of 21.

So there I was, a rookie without a clue about journalism, let alone its ethics, being thrust into the world of news and the cesspool of politics.

In mainstream newspapers, at least back then, nobody held your hand and guided you through the labyrinth of reporting. It was a baptism of fire. And you honed your skills, not to become better in your profession, but to spare yourself the blushes when editors humiliated you in the presence of peers.

Press releases from opposition leaders were consigned to the waste bin. And on the rare occasions that their comments were given space, it would not be more than a few paragraphs, tucked in some indiscernible corner of the paper.

Push the envelope and one can expect a call from the Home Ministry.

When I discovered Malaysiakini by chance and pored through its articles, I was flabbergasted. I was amazed that there was a news organisation in Malaysia bold enough to publish such articles.

I became addicted. Soon, I wanted to be part of this organisation. My parents were concerned as this was at the height of the controversy surrounding Malaysiakini and its funding. On RTM and TV3, there were clips accusing Malaysiakini of being staffed by traitors.

When I started work in Malaysiakini, little did I realise that this humble organisation would recalibrate my worldview and expose me to revolutionary ideas and concepts.

The people who walked through its doors came with fresh and awe-inspiring ideas on how to make Malaysia, this land we love and cherish, a better place.

Come next year, Malaysiakini will be celebrating its 20th birthday. Much has changed over the decades, but one thing remains constant – our commitment to good and ethical journalism.

No matter who is in power, Malaysiakini would keep a close watch on them. This is because we serve the people, and not political masters or business magnates.

However, ideals alone cannot keep an organisation afloat. In the absence of funders with deep pockets, Malaysiakini needs your help.

So please subscribe to Malaysiakini and help us check those in power.


RK ANAND is chief editor of Malaysiakini.

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