YOURSAY | 'Not only has Malaysiakini made a difference, it has given us hope when there was none.'

As Malaysiakini turns 21, join us in our celebration

Malaysia Bharu: Congratulations to the Malaysiakini team on its 21st anniversary. From its humble beginning, and despite the number of challenges and hurdles, it has grown by leaps and bounds and stayed its course to tell truth to power and hold power to account.

As a subscriber, it has been a pleasure travelling this eventful and memorable journey with the Malaysiakini family. For me, it has manifested into a sense of belonging.

May it continue to uphold its journalistic ideals while growing as the leading portal to inform and educate under the guiding hands of co-founders Steven Gan and Premesh Chandran.

Kim Quek: If there is one indispensable factor which contributed to the political tsunami epitomised by the 2008 election, that factor is Malaysiakini.

And that political tsunami triggered a process that resulted in the fall of hegemon Umno at the 2018 election and ushered in a new era for the country. In that sense, Malaysiakini has made history.

How the new era will turn out remains fuzzy, and it is in such uncertain scenario that Malaysiakini, as the leading independent media of the country, will continue to play its crucial role as a disseminator of the truth.

Our sincere appreciation to Malaysiakini founders for having persevered courageously all these years in their noble efforts to bring the change we all aspire for the country.

MS: Twenty-one years ago, as an "expert" taking hold of my clients' expensive watches to tell them the time, I recall hearing about a couple of young upstarts clambering on to the digital start-up bandwagon.

Those were stirring SMS-filled days as the Anwar matter continued to rankle and Y2K threatened to annihilate both computers and commerce, while consulting gigs continued to pick at Mahathir's McKinsey-inspired E-Gov CRFPs (concept request for proposals) in the hope of bagging a biggy.

Much of what happened then simply came and went like the over-hyped millennium bug, but not Malaysiakini.

Steven and Premesh's digital baby conceived at a time of national ferment kept growing in terms of subscribers and credibility, nourished by its sheer novelty (almost like an authenticated ‘surat layang’) and the appetite of an urban population sick of the pallid pap put out by "mainstream media".

Its growing popularity raised the hackles, not just of marauding YBs and the reigning (deified) YAB not used to being questioned, it caused serious concerns among self-editing editors who had built a reputation for themselves as pliant, unquestioning broadcasters of the regime.

Now, on hindsight, we may say that Malaysiakini was simply bound to happen - a child of emerging technology in an era when the news is entertainment, powered by narcissistic 'likes' and the gratifying need to share.

But that will only be partly true. What really made it all happen was a vision powered by sheer grit and gumption to stay the course... for 21 long years.

So everyone at Malaysiakini, take a bow. You have made a difference. You have caused justifiable unrest among the crooked and the shady, and by allowing hundreds of ordinary citizens their say, nourished the politics of this country.

Vijay47: Malaysiakini is 21? Nah, can’t be, just yesterday you were a kid! And now that you can vote, remember who to vote for. Not for the cuckoos but the good guys, for you and us.

But seriously, from a small unknown site, Malaysiakini grew into a journalistic giant that gave the public a choice and a voice. Your many awards are testimony to this.

You revealed that there was another universe of news beyond The Star, New Straits Times, TV3, and all the other mainstream media. This must be your greatest contribution to a nation long force-fed on mistruths and falsehoods, a world where abuse and downright criminal activities by the favoured were kept hidden from the public.

To us subscribers, you gave us the news and the vehicle to express our views. We may not have managed to change the world but getting things off the chest was often a relief and even a pleasure.

Apa Nama: Happy 21st birthday to Malaysiakini. You still have a long way to go as far as investigative and sting journalism are concerned. No point of being excellent in so-called digital this and digital that. Simply reporting the truth is just a baby step in the world of journalism.

We have not reached to that level yet and I do not think I will see that in my lifetime. Anyway, you have done a good job in the last 21 years. Congratulations and best wishes to all at Malaysiakini.

Mano: While I sit in the comfort of my home and office, being a mere armchair critic, you ventured out to create the best of news forum for all of us.

My family and I, and definitely many friends, are indebted to you in this journey to build a better Malaysia. Many Malaysians yearn for a fair, or at least, a clean government. We have hopes (though repeatedly dashed).

We feel so sorry that you alone took the brunt of punitive assaults. And we leave you to fully receive the blows from a system that oppresses truth and justice. Even now, you feel it right to protect us by preventing us from posting hyped comments, something which happens at times.

We also tend to "gaduh" with you, posting remarks about you in the comments section. We send emails to you on why our comments are removed, and poor community editor Susan Loone and her team to have to contend with us.

But, if it is of any consolation, Malaysiakini is almost like a family to me.

We "gaduh" with you, take you for granted at times and then, once the temperature dissipates, gratitude sets in and we fall back on the fact that Malaysiakini is the true media platform, the one we can count on to ensure authenticity while many other media and social platforms are running amok with sensational news.

Thank you also for providing a platform for us to make new virtual friends. The comments by Vijay47, MS, Wakandan, Cogito Ergo Sum, etc, are a treat to read. Thank you also for being a forum to learn new words and relearn the good English that I lost over the years.

By the way, thank you for the offer of a discount on subscription, even for existing subscribers. I, personally, will let it go. Rather, I hope many more readers will join us as paid subscribers. And we shall continue to celebrate your birthday for another 21 years and more.

Hang Babeuf: You have been our companion and friend - and often our guide as well - on a very long journey. May it continue - to a happy destination: for all of us!

Newday: Malaysiakini, may there be another 21 years at least. You forgot to mention current attacks, such as the contempt of court proceedings. But that is a small matter.

You gave voice to us armchair warriors, who sometimes can be emotional, but many times indicating the massive amount of accumulated expert knowledge in Malaysia that appears via comments in the articles.

You are different from the rest of the news portals in the range of subjects covered, and for that, I am forever thankful. You don’t get it right 100 percent of the time, but 99 percent is more than good enough for me.

MarioT: Congratulations Malaysiakini, you have stood the test of relentless scrutiny and suspicion of the powers-that-be. Continue the journey in pursuing the truth and justice.

I have just taken advantage of your special subscription offer.

Karma: Yes, I am already a subscriber - now till 2027! Thanks for all the great reporting.

Benedict Morais: Congrats to the founders of Malaysiakini for having the foresight, guts and gumption to launch this ground-breaking online news website.

Its phenomenal growth and following are due to it staying true to its founding principles. Indeed, it is a significant milestone worth celebrating.

VioletCondor4775: You did change the future of Malaysia, more than you'll care to admit. Thank you.

You gave us hope and courage to hold on to the vision for a nation where dissenting voices will not be snuffed out by threats and tyranny.

Cogito Ergo Sum: Not only has Malaysiakini made a difference, it has given us hope when there was none. It’s a testament to the team’s spirit and desire for a better Malaysia that you have survived and even thrived for 21 years.

It is not an exaggeration to say that Malaysiakini was instrumental in dismantling the BN machinery in GE14. And now, we are ready to do it all over again.

Sure, we will renew our subscription because information and data are still the best weapons against tyranny, corruption, poverty and ignorance. Well done to all at Malaysiakini, from all right-thinking and reasonable Malaysians.

Here’s to another 21 years and more.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.