vox populi big thumbnail The debate continues of whether this portal should be subscription-based of a free site. Read what our readers say about the matter.

Doctor Zero: I had registered to be a voter but for some unforeseeable reason my name was not registered in the electoral. I was required to travel to Barbados for an important project meeting which I would have cancelled at any cost to exercise my right as a voter. Nevertheless in Barbados I was but my heart was at home. My only source of info on the elections proceedings was M alaysiakini . It was absolutely noble of Malaysiakini to make it free for all during the crucial period of the elections.

When the free access was finally over, I signed up immediately for a year’s subscription, which is significantly lower than what we pay to get half-truths and government propaganda from the national tabloids and media.

There is a vehement truth to paying for a quality service. I have given many a time free music classes in my younger days whether charitably or to financially underprivileged candidates. I always found that those who paid were consistent with their practice, were on time and never missed their classes. When people invest their money in something, their heart is mostly there and they will demand quality commensurate with their investment. There is a parallel truth to this.

Therefore I believe Malaysiakini should not be made free. In fact the content, scope and coverage needs to be dramatically increased to satisfy a more information-hungry audience if Malaysiakini is to truly replace the so-called national tabloids. You have an opportunity to become the next platform of dynamic news on-the-go for the people of Malaysia. In order to keep it at the leading edge, it will need to have proper financing and a solid business strategy to move it forward.

Santhiren Marimuthu: Thanks Malaysiakini , well done, despite all the challenges along the years. One the best present by Malaysiakini to Malaysians was to provide one-week free access to all Malaysians and providing the instant poll results, - that’s what I call a real corporate social responsibility. You guys deserve a standing ovation.

No doubt all readers have benefitted immensely from Malaysiakini ’s news and it's only fair to expect Malaysiakini to grow and provide more analyses and news but this is only can be done via subscriptions, because nothing comes for free. I would say we Malaysians should support Malaysiakini to grow as big as the print media or its online equivalent.

I'm hoping one day I could read Malaysiakini as a printed newspaper as opposed to our mainstream print media, provided, of course, it is given a printing license. Hence fellow readers, Malaysiakini has done its part so now lets do out part.

For the last four years, I have been subscribing to Malaysiakini and I do not mind paying slightly more than RM0.40 per day to Malaysiakini through my subscription if that's all it takes to read an unbiased, reliable and spot-on news.

Soon Lee Chong: If your objective is not solely profit-making but also to expand readership to serve as a viable alternative mass media, I would suggest that you make it even a little cheaper so as to make Malaysiakini even more affordable to a greater number of people in the lower income bracket.

Whilst RM15 a month seems affordable to current subscribers, at say RM8-12 a month or RMR80-100 a year would even be more affordable to many more people. I don't think it should be free but any savings in this inflationary time is welcome.

In addition Malaysiakini must continue to improve its news, features, business etc contents. Be the true alternative media for the rakyat !

Felix: I feel Malaysiakini should be free to all and you should earn your profit from advertisements same as the rest like CNN, BBC or Yahoo or Hotmail. Readers should not be forced to subscribe just because other media are biased in their reporting and you should not take this opportunity to charge your readers.

Your sales personnel should start marketing for ads. One wonders why should one pay for online information/news. Malaysiakini can also provide email and other online services so ad revenue can be generated. However, if Malaysiakini start printing a newspaper or magazine then the scenario is different.

Mei Yi: How about just opening those news articles that are more than one-week old for free reading? Keep up the good work, Malaysiakini !

Peter Yew: I am a new subscriber to Malaysiakini , thanks to the need to get the latest election news, and I believe it is providing news and views that are not accessible from mainstream media. To be honest, I have learned a lot about this recent election issues and they helped me form better opinions as well as weigh my own thoughts with popular views. Malaysiakini therefore, serves a very useful purpose of educating the public on what others say that may not be available elsewhere.

I will continue to subscribe to government-linked newspapers to get a balanced understanding. This is subject to review of course. For Malaysiakini to survive beyond the election euphoria when many new subscribers join (and later stop renewing when there are not many sensational or critical news to keep subscribers interested) it must report views and news from both sides.

I believe readers also want to read critical thinking based on sound analysis and not on rumours or tips. It must be responsible to harness readers to think and act rationally toward positive nation building processes. In this sense, I am pleased that the recent election outcome has forced all of us to think out of the box, and this augurs well for our country. Thank you for your responsible reporting and continue your good work.

MCL: Soon after the elections, I clicked on to your subscription page and subscribed to the highest priced subscription option. This RM450 or so is a small price to pay for impartial reporting - and it kept my whole family properly informed during election night. Keep up the good work!

Birdseye: My view is that Malaysiakini should not be free. People should pay for quality reporting. After all, thousands of people are willing to pay for their daily newspaper and all any of it ever does, on the political front at least, is to present a very biased and glowing view of the country or the political party that owns the publication.

But not anymore. The advent of the internet and this group of people called ‘bloggers’ and websites like Malaysiakini have made it possible to counter the shameless behavior of the mainstream dailies and to harness that sense of solidarity amongst people who were at their wits end to the rampant corruption and inefficiency that was present almost anywhere, including those institutions we thought should be protecting us.

The surge in Malaysiakini when it was free to everyone just shows how much people yearn for an honest and balanced view. And I hope Malaysiakini will continue to provide a balanced view and refrain from promoting the Barisan Rakyat only. Otherwise, Malaysiakini will just become a version of the mainstream media for the opposing side.

Unless there is a sugar daddy somewhere willing to pay for Malaysiakini to be available free, I hope it will remain subscription-based. Take my money but please spend whatever it can to upgrade the services so subscribers are assured of a good visit each time.

BuzzFuzz74: Without proper revenue or stable funding, it will be very difficult for any organisation to speed up the spreading of its wings, or at least to continue existing.

Malaysiakini has successfully reached out to many Malaysians. BA (Barisan Alternative) may be one of your prospective sponsor.

Until then, in my opinion, subscription should not be ‘absolutely free’ but be kept at the best possible rate.

Malaysiakini: Free or pay (Pt 1)