Undeniably, when the existence of the whole new world of Blogosphere was discovered by Malaysians, it came as a shock to many. The Blogosphere is an unfettered domain where anything and almost everything goes.

Initially treated for contempt or suspicion with its manya- time unchallenged conventions, blogging in Malaysia has grown from its beginnings of being mainly personal musings into a full-bloomed phenomenon unparalleled in 2008, where the poignancy of this group has been acknowledged by all quarters, especially after the general election.

But the voice of bloggers was already being heard in many non-political sectors even before, especially in the advocacy of humanitarian values for the less fortunate. There are individuals and groups who have influenced the ways through which Malaysians can spread the chain of helping others live a better life through sharing their own experiences and promoting awareness.

This is evident in those who advocate breaking down the barriers of the marginalised, such as Persons With Disabilites or People Living with AIDS and even those who share their health experiences, such as breast cancer survivors. Today, without doubt, blogging has come to be embraced as part of the Malaysian way of life.

Interactivity by using the world’s most accessible medium — the web — has become a norm, bringing with it new dimensions in connecting people, and for the masses to exercise the rights to live in dignity, to inform and to be informed. In pushing for greater freedom of expression and thought — and communicating all these in whatever communities they belong to, Malaysian bloggers have undoubtedly made positive changes to the lives of their fellow men.

Free and fast, blogging evolved from being a youngster’s domain into, the single biggest phenomenon of the year that was. It came of age. For that, Malaysian Bloggers have been chosen as Your Voice of the Year 2008.

Making the difference

Choosing an outstanding honoree that best represents the spirit of Malay Mail’s tagline of‘Your Voice’ was not an easy task — and neither did we expect it to be.

For three weeks, from Dec 7, readers were asked to send in their nominations for those they felt most deserving of the accolade of ‘Your Voice of The Year 2008’. And after a series of sieving through nominations, 10 persons/groups were shortlisted to be honoured for the impact they made in 2008.

The panel of judges agreed that all 10 had created an impact on society and possessed the ‘Spirit of DARE: Dedication, Achievement, Responsibility and Excellence’ — traits long associated to those who never tire in working for accomplishments even when the odds are stacked against them. In congratulating them, the panel of judges had then the final decision to make. The outstanding No. 1. Distinguished judges Transparency International Malaysia president Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam and CIMB Group Sdn Bhd chairman Tan Sri Md Nor Md Yusof and P. C. Shivadas, former group editor and director of the New Straits Times Press Bhd and now a Malay Mail director, dedicated themselves to the task. They were assisted by the Mail’s editor Yushaimi Yahaya.

And the collective agreement: Malaysian Bloggers — Your Voice of the Year 2008.

The nine other honorees are (in alphabetical order): Squash queen Datuk Nicol David, Melbourne Cup winning racehorse owner Datuk Tan Chin Nam, lawyer Derek Fernandez, ChowKids director Dr Hartini Zainuddin, Fallen Leaves Theatre Company, Armed Forces Retirees rights activist Lt-Kol (Rtd) Idris Hassan, Malaysian voters, Medan Damansara residents, and never-failing blood donor T. Sahadevan.Ramon said Malay Mail’s conceptualisation of this award, its first, “serves as an encouragement to the community that even a mere man on the street can make a difference in others’ lives. The hunt for Your Voice recipients should be an on-going process as I am sure there are still many out there that deserve recognition”.

Your Voice of the Year 2008 honorees will be heralded at an awards presentation next month.

• A big voice for others — not just for now-famous communist fighter Mukhtiar Singh.

• Wrote many letters about the last Bukit Kepong survivorhero who had been seeking financial aid but never got any.

• Yusuf Rono, for instance, was only posthumously given the Pingat Gagah Berani and Idris is bent that Mukhtiar will not suffer the same fate.

• It was only through Idris’ writings that were posted on the 7th Rangers (Mechanized) blog that Mukhtiar’s case came to the attention of Malay Mail .

• Last year, at the age of 66, Idris took basic IT tuition for three months (twice a week, at RM50 per session), learnt to switch on the computer and learnt to type and email because he wanted to “keep in touch with the rest of the world, and share his thoughts, so that life would be interesting”. The Malay Mail.