Dear Malaysiakini,
Malaysiakini gets raided by the police under controversial circumstances. Uproar from the general public, opposition parties in Malaysia, local and international NGOs. Malaysiakini gets an eviction notice from PC Suria. Further uproar.
Malaysiakini's opponents will be smiling - the country's "only independent online daily" is under tremendous pressure. It lost a substantial chunk of its hardware, it went offline for hours, its senior staff were grilled by the police, its reporters and employees won't be blamed if they are beginning to feel a wee bit insecure knowing that they are being watched, knowing that they are one "seditious" article away from further investigation and possible jail time, fines or both. Now, if only Malaysiakini's eviction goes through and they find themselves on the street, forced to relocate...
Malaysiakini's advocates and supporters are deeply upset. This is the online paper that has broken from the shackles of government regulation. Taking advantage of the loophole that is Internet publishing, its voice can be relied upon to report and comment on issues that would never see the light of printed matter. And now, that freedom is under threat; all that has been worked for could abruptly grind to a halt. A true supporter will not sit idly by. Some have donated computers. Others have donated cash. Others still have donated their support through prayers and a brightly lit candle.
And yet, i think both groups will be surprised to realize that the only true winners in this whole affair has been Malaysiakini. Without prescribing wholeheartedly to the adage that "bad publicity is better than no publicity", the tremendous exposure the online daily has received is something that really can't be bought. The BBC and Reuters (just to name a few) have given coverage to the issue. NGOs from all over the world have done more than just mumble the usual words of protest - letters have been written, very strong words have been exchanged and you can bet that foreign politicians that receive the support of these NGOs will be sitting up and taking notice. The words "Malaysiakini was raided" may have even already graced the hallowed halls of the British and/or Thai Parliament (albeit, among the back-benchers).
In short, Malaysiakini's reach has suddenly taken a great leap forward, beyond our shores, beyond the boundaries of Malaysian politics. Of course, they have have received world-wide recognition before with numerous awards - but one feels that everybody favours the underdog. Malaysiakini has been portrayed as the underdog. Recent action against it seems to validate this truth. The rally of support has been predictable and strong.
The latest score: "Malaysiakini" 1 - "Those-who-would-wish-it-ill" 0
Peace,
Aizuddin Danian
http://www.aizuddindanian.com
This letter was written to the Editor of Malaysiakini.com as a positive response for its recent troubles
