We Malaysians are becoming more demanding but it's a good thing.

Whether as consumers, as a more political conscious and even religious people, we are speaking up now, more than ever in our 52-year history.  Today we expect more from our leaders, our civil servants, our service providers, our teachers and are even challenging what we read.

Confronted by these challenges even Datuk Seri Najib Razak conceded that "the era where government knows best is over" weeks after assuming the helm as premier and we, as Malaysians are better off because of it.

The dawn of the Information Age and the role of the internet in giving us, what is in essence a fundament right of free expression, cannot be overstated. 

The emergence of New Media such as Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider and Free Malaysia Today along with countless thousands of Blogs provide avenues of expression.

The Malaysian cabinet's recent decision to declassify the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide investigations report as well as to revamp the National Civics Bureau or Bureau Tata Negara (BTN) programmes came about because of public outcry.

Victims of the December 6, 2008 landslide, which killed five, destroyed 14 bungalows and caused millions of Ringgit in damages, successfully demanded for report classified under the Official Secrets Act to be unveiled.

At the same time Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, said the Cabinet had agreed to revamp BTN courses which had deviated from its original aim of nation building and instilling patriotism.

In line with Najib's 1Malaysia - "people First, performance Now" motto, the Cabinet's move to heed the calls from the public, albeit rather slowly, must be commended as steps in the right direction.

As a decade-old-journalist, first at mainstream newspapers and now with an online news portal, I too, am confronted with a more demanding public - unafraid of telling me exactly of what they think of my articles.

Readers at The Malaysian Insider can and do comment unanimously on any
articles.  Criticisms are common but are not only welcome but posted online for all to see and read.

New media is a double edge sword - as we strive to push the boundaries of journalism, like the politicians and personalities we write about - reporters are not shield from public scrutiny.

Truth, justifications and fair comment on matters of public interest continue to be safeguards and boundaries which protect journalists and the more vocal public at large.

However, Malaysians have yet to learn to use our freedom of expression responsibly.

Some bloggers and commentators hiding behind the veil of anonymity are not shy about expressing their downright racist views, but they do so at their own peril.

As a journalist, I will defend their right to express what's really in their hearts anyway, because these expressions, as racist or divisive as they may be, provide a window into Malaysian society which would otherwise be hidden.

How else would we as Malaysians take stock of how far we've progressed or digressed as a country, if not for this free expression?

As a young democracy, speaking out, being heard and agreeing to disagree is vital to our future as a nation.  To remain mute in the face of injustice and obvious wrongs is not an option.  Silence will lead us down the slippery slope of a failed state.

Fortunately we have the freedom to speak out, let's use it responsibly.

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Neville is a journalist with The Malaysian Insider. A law dropout, needing a job, he stumbled on his true calling as a reporter on Nov 15, 1999. He is a former Press Fellow, at Wolfson College, Cambridge.