M. G. G. Pillai
MGG Pillai (1939 – 28 April 2006) was a
activist. He was one of the country's pioneers in Internet-based journalism and activism.[1] His parents were immigrants from Kerala, India. His great maternal uncle, Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai was a celebrated Malayalam novelist. True to the matrilineal tradition of the Nair
caste, he had a reverential relationship with Thakazhi. Thakazhi in turn was proud of his nephew's journalistic pursuits. MGG Pillai was married to P.C. Jayasree. They have two sons, Sreekant Pillai and Sreejit Pillai.
Background and career
A
13 May riots for the newspaper in 1969. He joined the then newly established Singapore Herald in 1970 but left after the government of Singapore refused to renew his work permit.[2]
Upon returning to Malaysia, Pillai began
freelancing for the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER). By then, Pillai was also a stringer for the Indian newspaper Hindustan Times. Besides writing for FEER, Pillai also contributed to Newsweek as a stringer and co-founded the defunct news magazine Asiaweek.[2] In 1977, Pillai became the first Malaysian to receive a fellowship from the Nieman Foundation for Journalism, which offered him a chance for further study in journalism at Harvard University.[2]
Journalistic style
Pillai was well known for his straight-talking, no-holds-barred style of reporting and commentary, which resulted in brushes with authority. He had been forbidden from entering
politicians
may have reviled him in public for his hard-hitting, anti-establishment views, privately many maintained good personal relations with Pillai, to the extent he became a confidant to politicians in both the government and the opposition.
Contribution to Malaysian journalism
Pillai was a regular contributor to pro-opposition publications, such as the official mouthpiece of the
Mouse Deer") and mggpillai.com, his self-titled but now-defunct news and commentary website. He rose to national prominence during the heyday of the Reformasi ("Reform") movement, which blossomed following the sacking of the then Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim
in 1998. His internet-based commentaries and reporting were at the forefront in chronicling the political turmoil amid a time when the internet was in its infancy in Malaysia.
Death
Pillai died on 28 April 2006 at the University of Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, due to heart-related complications.[1]
Notes and references
- ^ a b c "Journalist MGG Pillai dies of a cardiac arrest". thestar.com.my. 29 April 2006. Archived from the original on 21 May 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2007.
- ^ a b c d e "Nieman Notes". nieman.harvard.edu. Spring 2006. Archived from the original on 16 July 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2007.
- ^ a b Hassan, M.R. (28 April 2006). "PAS rakam takziah kepada keluarga MGG Pillai" (in Malay). harakahdaily.net. Retrieved 24 April 2007.[permanent dead link]
External links
- MGG Pillai Dalam Kenangan (Malay) (An obituary for MGG Pillai by an anonymous Malaysian political activist)
- MGG Pillai's Nieman Foundation 1977 fellowship class photo