M. G. G. Pillai

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MGG Pillai (1939-April 28, 2006) was a Malaysian journalist and political activist. He was one of the country's pioneers in Internet-based journalism and activism.

A Johor-born Indian-Malaysian of Malayalee descent, he started his career in journalism in the 1960's. He was once a Reuters correspondent covering the Vietnam War. A fact that many is not aware of is that MGG as he is known to his close friends was the first Malaysian in 1977 to receive a fellowship from The Neiman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. The Neiman Foundation elevates journalism standards through publications, seminars, conferences and fellowship. MGG's class of 1977 photo may be viewed at the following link: www.nieman.harvard.edu/people/classphotos/class77.html Pillai was well-known for his straight-talking, no-holds-barred style of reporting and commentary, which resulted in brushes with authority. During a stint in Singapore, he was expelled and forbidden from entering the republic (even up to his death) after one his reports roused the anger of top government officials. While 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.

Pillai was a regular contributor to pro-opposition publications, such as the official mouthpiece of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (Parti Islam SeMalaysia - PAS), the Harakah , independent internet news portal Malaysia Today and Malaysiakini. He was one of the first Malaysian journalists to see the potential of the internet; he founded a mailing list-based current affairs discussion forum, Sang Kancil ("The Mouse Deer") and his own news and commentary website. He rose to national prominence during the heydeys 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.