Fathi Aris Omar joined Malaysiakini in December 1999 and after a two-year stint, he became one of its columnist (2002 – 2005). Previously, he worked for independent Malay magazines and contributed opinion pieces to major dailies for almost a decade. With some friends, he helped set up youth group Komunite Seni Jalan Telawi (2002-2007) to promote discussions on politics, social activism, art and culture as well as religion and philosophy, as the foundation for rational thoughts on current issues.

His opinions on press freedom and current issues were also compiled into a book, Patah Balek: Catatan Terpenting Reformasi (Turning Back: Revisiting Reformasi) in 2005.

Fathi later became part of major daily The Star’s newly-launched Malay news portal mStar Online (2006 – 2007) before rejoining Malaysiakini.com on February 13, 2008, the day the Malaysian Parliament was dissolved to pave the way for the historic 12th general election. He is currently a senior editor at Malaysiakini.com.

Session: Session 2 – Asia: From “Clicktivism” to “Civic Activism”