With all due respect, I would like to point out that one of the biggest reason BN was defeated was because of the Internet. Without the advent of the Internet, the news would not have spread fast nor will the voters have come out to do their duty. Therefore, I do not advice that you make Malaysiakini a subscription-based site.
In fact, what I would recommend is for Malaysiakini to take the advantage of the situation and use its traffic to get revenue from advertising instead. This way, readers can still come to your site for the latest political developments and you can still fund your site.
It is absolutely crucial that you do not restrict readers from reading the content on your website just because they are not a paying member. Have you ever considered that you have readers from overseas that is interested in investing in Malaysia? They do not necessarily want to be a paying member because they do not live in Malaysia. Rather, they visit your website for information regarding the political climate in our beloved country.
If the reasons above still have not moved you, how about this - what about your competition? Do you honestly believe that Malaysiakini will be the only site in Malaysia that can deliver political news? I believe BN has the funds and capability to launch their own website as well - for free. You will also have other competitors beside BN/Umno.
Therefore, while you still have a large fan base, think of ways to keep your site alive and readers coming. Instead of just taking the easy way out by makeing your readers pay, you should be more creative in your solutions like what I had mentioned above. Get ad revenue via traffic to your site or set up a channel for donations.
I apologise if what I have said has offended Malaysiakini . I just wanted you (the management of Malaysiakini ) to reconsider the approach you are taking. There is a huge revenue potential in your site and also in your fan base. You are also serving the interest of the Malaysians by letting them have a medium to keep up with political events in the country.
Think about Malaysiakini being the only site to go for political news here in Malaysia. I sincerely urge Malaysiakini ’s management to rethink its approach.
