His indomitable spirit lives on...

The veteran Malaysian journalist, MGG Pillai had recently passed away from heart complications. I haven't had the chance to read the news today and was only informed of his death by Rafdi before the soccer game this evening. MGG was a rare gem in the cubic zirconia world of Malaysian journalism. He was never flaky and had always stayed true to his independent spirit. Not the one easily intimidated, he was the persistent seeker of truth and justice. When all cowered in fear and sycophantic adulation, he among the very few who dared to point out that the emperor had no clothes. His indeed a very big shoe to fill. Rest in peace, MGG, and may God bless your soul. Below is an article from MalaysiaKini on the news of his death.

Veteran journalist MGG Pillai dies
Apr 28, 06 12:24pm

The doyen of Malaysian journalism MGG Pillai passed away this morning at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre due to heart complications.

According to his son Sreejit, the veteran newsman who pioneered Malaysia's online journalism, died at 10.40am.

Pillai leaves behind a widow and two sons. Funeral services will be held at the Cheras crematorium in Kuala Lumpur at 12 noon tomorrow.

Those wishing to pay their last respects today can do so at Pillai's house in Siew Dor Mansion, Brickfields.

Pillai, 67, began his career in journalism who began his career in journalism in the 1960s with the Hong Kong-based Far Eastern Economic Review magazine.

He had also served as a war correspondent with foreign news agency Reuters during the Vietnam War.

In 1971, he was asked to leave Singapore after the newspaper he worked for, Singapore Herald, was shut down by the government. He was declared persona non grata and was never allowed back into the city-state. Pillai later joined the Malay Mail.

For the past 10 years, Pillai had taken to the Internet to pursue his craft. He was instrumental in the launch of discussion group Sangkancil in 1995 - Malaysia's first online community - and more recently his own website, MGGPillai.com.

Pillai was a malaysiakini columnist since the online news website was launched six years ago and till the end took his journalistic commitments very seriously.

Despite being admitted to the hospital on Tuesday, he insisted on calling Malaysiakini that morning to say that his Chiaroscuro (shades of gray) column wouldn't be coming in.

“I'm afraid I won’t be sending you a column today because I’m in the hospital,” he told Malaysiakini’s opinions and features editor S Vicknesan.

Defamation suit

Pillai made news in 1994 when he was found liable to defamation based on an action filed by business tycoon Vincent Tan over an article he wrote for the Malaysian Industry magazine.

He and several other defendants were ordered to pay Tan damages amounting to RM10 million. His share was RM2 million.

Maintaining that he was merely stating the truth, Pillai challenged the judgment in the Court of Appeal and later the Federal Court - the country's highest court - but failed on both occasions.

Undeterred, he made a rare application in 2002 for the Federal Court to review its earlier ruling claiming that there was suspicion of bias on the part of then chief justice Eusoff Chin who was known to have close ties with Tan's lawyer VK Lingam.

His application proved to be a success as the Federal Court ruled that the judgment delivered by Eusoff on June 12, 2000 breached his (Pillai's) substantive right as one of the judges who heard the matter had already retired.

(Eusoff had headed a three-man panel of judges which upheld the RM2 million defamation award against Pillai)

The decision was a landmark case as no review had ever been granted prior to that.

However, Pillai remained modest about his success, saying that it was not a victory but a mere "stumble".

"I am not relieved as there is still the Federal Court rehearing. However, I have no illusions that justice will prevail.

“It is easier to draw blood from a stone than RM2 million from Pillai," he had stressed.