From 4pm on Nov 22, Malaysiakini - the country’s first news portal - will throw its doors open to the public as part of its 15th anniversary.
To mark the occasion, the independent website which went live in Nov 20, 1999, will launch its new headquarters dubbed @Kini, located in Section 51, Petaling Jaya.
And all of you are invited for the celebration cum street party.
"The launch will be an opportunity for us to thank in person all those who have supported Malaysiakini ,” said editor-in-chief Steven Gan.
“Especially the contributors of our ‘Buy a Brick’ campaign and those who have stood by us throughout the 15 years Malaysiakini has struggled for independent financing. Our subscribers play a crucial role to ensure that we are able to achieve that.”
From 4pm to 7pm, Malaysiakini supporters and contributors can tour the new building in Jalan Tandang, meet the team and learn what transpires behind the scenes.
Following this, from 7pm to 11pm, there will be a street party outside the building with an abundance of tantalising halal food and drinks.
"You will also get to meet the men and women who made Malaysiakini the country’s most influential website. Do bring your loved ones and friends to our ‘open house'. We'd love to meet them,” said Gan.
Each ‘Buy a Brick’ contributor will receive two free passes to the launch and dinner. However additional guests will have to purchase tickets priced at RM50 each, which will be on sale on the day of the launch.
During the tour, those present will be able to inspect the seven-foot ‘The Wall’, comprising 1,040 bricks embossed with the names of all contributors.
The overwhelming support from those who purchased bricks and tiles to the tune of RM1.6 million has helped Malaysiakini realise its dream of moving into its own headquarters.
The six-month ‘Buy a Brick’ campaign launched last year saw several individuals and a university contributing up to RM50,000 each, with the very last RM1,000 brick bought by a supporter all the way from Hawaii.
New building, same mission
With the new building, the Malaysiakini team will no longer be sitting in a cramped space with broken chairs and second-hand tables.
Instead the team will now be housed in a spacious 10,000 sq ft home, the interior of which is designed by Ambrose Poh.
The Malaysiakini family has grown significantly with the launch of KiniBiz and the rebranding of the video section as KiniTV early this year to continue its mission to deliver independent news and views to Malaysians.
@Kini will also have the country's first live Webcast centre, where an audience can interact at the venue and over the Internet during live forums and discussions at the studio.
Malaysiakini chief executive officer Premesh Chandran said that the team will miss Bangsar Utama - a place which Malaysiakini has called home for almost 12 years.
“It has a certain charm and a great central location. Nevertheless, we believe the new building will allow us to grow and go further into new areas that synergise with our vision and mission.”
Chandran thanked all those who made the building a reality - from those who contributed financially to PJ 51 - the developers of the industrial business park which Malaysiakini will be located - the renovation contractors as well as staff members.
“We hope all our friends and supporters will join us for the building launch.”
Reserve your attendance for the launch before Nov 15 by clicking on this link . Please also provide the number of people you will be bringing with you. Everyone is invited. [Waze map]
