NUJ chief says to fight on after inquiry put off

Hata (right) said he will continue fighting for press freedom. Seated on the left is Anbalagan. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17 — Despite being unsure of the status of Utusan Malaysia’s inquiry and his suspension, National Union of Journalists (NUJ) chief Hata Wahari has vowed to continue fighting for press freedom.

Utusan Malaysia called off a domestic inquiry on its Hata for his critical comments against the Umno-owned paper this morning.

But Hata said he is unsure as to whether the inquiry has been adjourned or dismissed.

He said the inquiry panel chairman, Mohd Bashir Abdul Rahim, only said that they would send him a letter.

“I don’t know what has happened. I am in a dark room and I cannot do anything,” he said.

“But I will continue fighting for media freedom. The mainstream media must return to bring credible and not just be government propaganda,” he added.

He said that starting tomorrow, he would station himself outside Utusan Malaysia’s office under a makeshift tent to continue to show that “Utusan is still in my heart and I just want it to serve the public not the government.”

He also said the Utusan Malaysia branch of the NUJ would organise a protest at the end of the month to coincide with the “50th anniversary of 1961 when it became the voice of Umno.”

Umno took over ownership of the Malay-language broadsheet in 1961 before which, Hata said, it was still credible and objective.

Union secretary-general V. Anbalagan said Mohd Bashir, who is the company’s marketing general manager, called off the inquiry when talks broke down over representation for Hata and whether the proceedings could be recorded on video.

“Utusan said only they can record the proceedings and denied Hata’s request to do the same. Hata said it was unfair,” he told The Malaysian Insider.

Anbalagan also said Utusan did not allow him to represent Hata, who was elected the union chief last year.

The newspaper had suspended Hata last week pending the inquiry.

“After taking into consideration the seriousness of misconduct allegations against you, the company has decided to suspend your service effective January 17, 2011 until the domestic inquiry on your actions has been completed,” said Utusan’s suspension letter addressed to Hata.

The letter, which was sent to Hata on January 11, stated that the senior reporter would be denied entry into any Utusan office throughout the course of the inquiry, and needed to seek permission from the company management if he wanted to enter the office.

“During the period of your suspension, you are required to be in a place where the company management can contact you, and you are not allowed to leave your neighbourhood,” said the letter.

“Now I don’t know whether I am still suspended, whether I am still getting a salary or what I can do since I am on ‘house arrest’,” Hata told reporters today.

Hata has been attacked by his own company for issuing statements to news portals The Malaysian Insider, Malaysiakini, Merdeka Review, and The Sun newspaper between September 21 and October 14 last year.

Hata also blamed the drop in the national daily’s sales on the editors for pushing what he called racial rhetoric.

“In my 16 years in Utusan I had not seen it accusing a chief minister of being anti-Malay,” he said, referring to the newspapers attacks on Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. - Malaysian Insider