We are nobody’s poodle
FMT is a friend to all and does not want to unnecessarily create trouble or take sides in the turf wars of the politicians. But some quarters perceived us as “unfriendly” simply because we did not give them enough space or were not standing in their corner as they fight for power and glory.
Free Malaysia Today
When FreeMalaysiaToday hit the online stand early this year, its mission was clear: “to give readers news that is different from the rest of the pack… in pursuit of truth, we will spare no effort to get our our acts correct…” Over the last few months, we proved our mettle. Going against the mainstream current, we battled our way to come up with stories that provoked, titillated, agitated, irked, amused. We soldiered on even when dark clouds at times crossed our path. At first, the outside world did not notice our existence or thought we were a clone of another blogsite whose irrepressible leader is still rattling the establishment from a faraway land. Relentlessly the ripples we created grew into tidal waves that kept crashing on the shores of the public mind until the bell was rung that there is a new force to be reckoned with. Somehow, public perception of FMT has gone awry. Some quarters think the news portal is the child of a certain political party and therefore was set up to serve its interest. Worse still, a few seasoned politicians believed FMT is theirs and therefore it must strictly toe the line. One veteran politico with a socialist bent initially welcomed the “new” kid but later turned boorish when FMT did not play his game. Inexplicably, he summoned an FMT reporter to hear his story but then told her off in an ill-mannered outburst that everything he said could not be published simply because he “doesn’t like FMT” (anymore) and abruptly told her to go. He left the polite woman journalist bewildered – and lost her respect. Some other big-wigs were peeved when their party came in for some shelling. They felt FMT shouldn’t be highlighting the feuds in their house for fear their opponents would exploit their split.
FMT is a friend to all and does not want to unnecessarily create trouble or take sides in the turf wars of the politicians. But some quarters perceived us as “unfriendly” simply because we did not give them enough space or were not standing in their corner as they fight for power and glory. Thus we were shunned and made to feel unwanted. They would invite others “deemed friendly” to their functions but pointedly ignored us to teach us a lesson. But the world did not come crashing down on us. The clock did not stop ticking. The news did not stop flowing. FMT did not collapse as a result of their churlish campaign to boycott us. We continue to put them under the spotlight and track their every move – with or without invitation.
FMT is sailing on dangerous waters in dangerous times. Many sharks are circling the vessel thirsting for blood. But the crew on board is clear and sure about its destination. Its port of call is freedom. Powered by the spirit of independence, the journey will proceed uninterrupted. It must plow through and withstand the pressure to quit. While all hands on deck acknowledge they might be whipped by winds and lashed by storms, they will not let their ship run aground on a shoal. FMT was not built on the back of someone with bottomless pockets. It was not formed out of the dreams of a political maverick. It was not tailored to suit a socialist mould. It was not shaped by a political coalition hell-bent on seizing the torch of power. It was not created in the image of Frankenstein out to wreak havoc or disturb the public peace or threaten national security. The news portal came into the world on the strength of a promise: to give people another gateway to truth.
