The more I read about how the Malaysian government and some of the Malaysian media are hounding malaysiakini over the issue of George Soros and his alleged funding of the online daily, the more silly I think it makes everyone look. If there was a winner in the whole mess, it would be Soros - imagine how smug he would feel if he knew he was the central attraction of the whole controversy!

Let's look at both sides of the controversy.

On malaysiakini's side, I wonder why it feels the need to adopt an apologetic tone when it comes to the Soros issue. Again and again, it has released statements disclaiming any acceptance of funds either directly or indirectly from Soros. I can understand that it's important to be seen as impartial and unbiased, especially in the news industry, but the question is: why Soros? Has malaysiakini bought the government propaganda that he's the cause of all our country's financial woes?

I could easily ask, who funds Seapa, an organisation that malaysiakini openly acknowledges receiving funds from. Just like Seapa, the Open Society Institute is also a non-profit organisation that sponsors charitable causes all around the world.

And what about this Independent Media Fund for malaysiakini? Will the daily be looking into the background of all the donors, and then decide on which donation to accept and which to refuse?

Let's say, as a private, law-abiding citizen interested in the cause of media freedom, I want to donate RM1 million to the fund. Would malaysiakini take my money? Probably. But if Soros were to donate for the same reasons, based on malaysiakini's apparent aversion towards anything he is associated to, it is most likely that he would be turned away. Then the question would be, what difference is there between Soros and myself?

It makes sense not to accept money from convicted criminals or governmental organisations, but Soros is neither. By trying so hard to deny that malaysiakini has received any money from him, or by swearing that it will never receive anything from him in the future, malaysiakini is effectively agreeing to all the propaganda the Malaysian government has spread about him. In trying so hard to be unbiased, the online daily has allowed itself to be prejudiced against those who would help it. If that is the case, then I'm sorry it had to be so. If I'm wrong, then I'm sorry to be wrong, but to the average person, this is how it seems.

On the side of the Malaysian government, it looks like it is playing its cards very well. It's obvious that it dislikes the service that malaysiakini provides; by telling the truth, the web-based daily has weakened the government's position, so it is understandable that the government would find some way to attack malaysiakini. By linking malaysiakini to Soros, the government has cast so much doubt on the daily's service that it was forced to respond.

To the malaysiakini's loyal readers, it might make little difference - the online news provider has their trust because it has always seen fit to tell it like it sees it.

But to those that are new to malaysiakini, or to those who have heard of the website but have yet to try it out, their suspicions would be raised. Even if they began to read what malaysiakini had to report, in the back of their minds, a lingering doubt about any hidden agendas that it might have would certainly remain.

Furthermore, I can only imagine the sort of psychological havoc this whole issue has brought onto the malaysiakini team. None of us live in a vacuum and the constant badgering of the local media and various government leaders must be taking a toll.

The very fact that it had to devote so much effort to deflect all the incoming attacks means that its resources are drawn thinner, and thus, its undertaking to deliver news that really matters has been curtailed.

All in all, from where I stand, it seems that the campaign against malaysiakini has achieved its desired results. And that is a shame.