Ex-Utusan boss says paper valued its brand more than staff

The decision by the Utusan Melayu Bhd management to choose creditors’ voluntary liquidation of their newspaper was to save the newspaper's brand and license.

Former Utusan Melayu group chief editor, Johan Jaafar (above) also alleged it they only looked at business interests even though more than 800 employees lost their jobs in an instant with the decision.

"So what happened is that the company is winding up via voluntary liquidation. So whoever is working with Utusan Melayu is deemed to have lost his post. All assets under the company will be sold to settle debts.

“In this process, what is saved is the brand name and newspaper license but staff welfare was not given any consideration. It was strictly for business.

“In my opinion, they should think of other options,” he told reporters after attending a "Media and Politics Workshop in New Malaysia" at Parliament today.

Apart from that, Johan who managed the newspaper in the 1990's, said he was sad personally to see the fate that befell the country's oldest newspaper.

“So there are no other ways to take back all the workers. It is something very sad as the 80-year-old newspaper company is closed down while the welfare of the staff was not given due consideration.

On Wednesday, an internal memo was circulated to all company employees by Utusan Melayu executive chairman Abdul Aziz Sheikh Fadzir and it was reported as saying that the Utusan board of directors on Oct 7, 2019, approved the creditors’ voluntary liquidation proposal and made the decision to shut down the operation of the company. - Bernama