Gan, who had returned from Bangkok days earlier, moved into the office. "We were not given any time to settle in. Within weeks, then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad surprised everyone by calling a snap election. At that time, most had expected the polls to be held in 2000" said Gan. "It was decided that the launch would be done earlier - Malaysiakini would go live on nomination day, Nov 20, 1999."
Full Article at Malaysiakini