I salute malaysiakini for publishing the Sekretariat Melayu Muda's letter (Why Malaysiakini must be stopped) that calls for the government and the Home Ministry to take action against you to deter others from publishing the allegedly seditious, "anti-government materials, slanted reports and racially-sensitive articles and letters".

To me, it is in accord with the highest tradition of independent journalism and the principles of your profession not just to publish views in praise of your achievements and work but also those such as that from the "group made up of young Malay professionals", braying for blood, in condemnation of you.

In so doing, you have underscored the all-important point: that you give both admirers and detractors alike, fair and equal opportunity and a level-playing field to praise or take a shot at you, as the case may be - in the belief that opinions and thoughts, whether for or against, should be given free vent to collide and contend in order for the unblemished truth to unravel, and in any event, for the cause of democracy and freedom of speech (as enshrined in our Federal Constitution) to be served.

This should be the professional way in journalism of which you have made an eloquent statement by publishing a viewpoint inimical to you. And which naturally next leads me to reflect o­n what it really takes to be a professional (apart from simply calling o­neself as such) and the attributes of being o­ne.

According to Cambridge International Dictionary of English, a profession is any type of work, which needs a special training or a particular skill, often o­ne which is respected because it involves a high level of education.

A professional is thus used in this context to mean having the qualities that o­ne connects with trained and skilled people, such as eloquence, mental effectiveness, skill, organisation and seriousness of manner and attitude to important and larger issues.

Most importantly, a professional is o­ne who has an unflinching commitment to intellectual values and tradition that tolerate a contrariety of views and arguments, never hectoring, threatening, censuring or censoring even those with whom o­ne disagrees or dislikes vehemently, and never shirking from the responsibility to question established ideas, no matter how sacrosanct or sacrilegious.

The professional is also ever willing to embrace debate in the belief that o­nly in an adversarial contention of opposing positions and ideas will the truth - in collision with the untruth - be gleaned and doubly re-affirmed with certainty for the higher good of all.

The professional is also never being afraid or labour under any insecurity and complex to escape the logical conclusion that the debate will inexorably lead to, whether favourable or unfavourable to o­neself or the group's collective interest.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has many of these fine attributes of a professional, shooting as fast from his head as from the hip to challenge established positions. It is "leadership by example" and if some of us follow that leadership style, why then are we told to shut up under threat of punishment? I rest my case.