Opposition MPs have flayed Putrajaya over a directive for government-linked companies (GLCs) to advertise in Umno-controlled newspapers, stressing that members of the administration did not seem to know what the policy on the matter was.
Their comments follow deputy finance minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan's admission that he had written to heads of GLCs to spend more of their advertisement budget at Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian.
His remarks contradicted that of a parliamentary reply by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim at the end of last month, who had said the federal government had never recommended that Utusan be given priority for advertisement purposes.
Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua (pic) said such flip flopping is unacceptable and a blatant interference of GLCs financial affairs.
“The fact that various ministers are saying different things on the same issue proves that the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.
“The prime minister must state his position on this,” he said.
"The government only stressed that advertisements be placed in main newspapers in Malaysia so that the message can achieve its objective," Shahidan had said in a written reply to Sim Tze Tzin (PKR-Bayan Baru).
This came on the heels of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak pitching for companies and government agencies to advertise in Utusan Malaysia during the opening of the Bahasa Malaysia daily's new headquarters on September 13.
Najib had said newspaper companies cannot rely solely on circulation to stay in business and that advertising was needed to keep the 75-year-old newspaper afloat.
"I hope all government agencies, GLCs and private companies, especially those owned by Bumiputeras, will show their support by giving more advertisements to Utusan. Only this will help keep Utusan on track," the premier was reported as saying.
Pua said it is completely irresponsible to direct GLCs to advertise in the dailies.
“Government money is not meant for party-owned newspapers, especially one that had proven to repeatedly defame and provide inaccurate reports to the public,” he said in referring to Utusan Malaysia.
Sim said the latest call by Putrajaya is clearly an attempt to bail out Utusan Malaysia, which is suffering from falling circulation.
He reminded GLCs to be aware that their responsibilities are towards the people and making its operations profitable instead of listening to demands from Umno.
The Pakatan Rakyat leadership has been wary of the Umno mouthpiece's style of reporting and several have sued it for its reports.
Among the Pakatan leaders who had taken Utusan Malaysia to court for defamation and won are opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Seputeh MP and former Selangor exco member Teresa Kok from DAP, and former Perak menteri besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin from PAS.
Last January, Anwar won a suit against Utusan Malaysia after High Court judge Datuk V.T. Singham found that the daily had defamed him in two articles.
The court ruled that the articles, which had implied that Anwar had intended to legalise homosexuality, was a gross mistaking of facts in complete disregard for Anwar’s reputation.
The court also found that the news articles were lacking in responsible journalism and that the newspaper took high risk in publishing them on the front page, without verifying the truth.
In February, the Court of Appeal upheld a High Court decision ordering Utusan Malaysia to pay RM200,000 in general and aggravated damages to Lim over a defamatory article.
Lim, who is Bagan MP and Air Putih assemblyman, had sued Utusan for defaming him in an article entitled, “Kebiadaban Guan Eng” published on December 20, 2011.
Utusan Malaysia columnist Datuk Chamil Wariya and Utusan Melayu openly apologised to Teresa Kok in the High Court in June as part of a settlement in a defamation suit filed by Kok.
The court also ordered Utusan Melayu to pay costs of RM50,000 and to publish an apology in the daily.
Kok had filed a RM30 million defamation suit against Utusan Melayu, which publishes Utusan Malaysia, and Chamil on December 12, 2008.
The suit was over a short story written by Chamil, who is also Malaysian Press Institute CEO, which allegedly referred, either directly or by innuendo, to Kok. The story titled YB Josephine was published in Utusan Malaysia on October 12, 2008.
In July, the Kuala Lumpur High Court awarded Mohammad Nizar RM250,000 in damages in his suit against Utusan Malaysia over the WWW1 car registration number issue. In his statement of claim, Nizar said the defendant had implied that Nizar had tried to incite the people to hate the Sultan of Johor. - November 10, 2013.
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