Former NUJ chairman heckled and booed
(The Sun Daily) – Former NUJ chairman Hata Wahari was heckled and booed by his former colleagues at Malay-daily Utusan Malaysia during his annual ‘protest’ at their office yesterday.
Some 50 Utusan Malaysia staff gathered at building’s entrance at about 5pm in anticipation of a ‘demonstration’ led by Hata, who instead showed up alone with a message for his former employer – on a large black banner with bold white type.
“Kepada Ketua Pengarang Utusan: Hentikan kewartawanan tidak bertanggungjawab. Jadilah wartawan yang menjunjung etika kewartawanan. Jangan gadaikan masa depan Utusan untuk kepentingan diri. Jangan jadi wartawan rasis. (To the Utusan Editor in Chief: Stop irresponsible journalism. Be an ethical journalist. Do not gamble the future of Utusan for personal gains. Do not be a racist journalist.)
Several police trucks and patrol cars were also seen parked around the premise as Utusan Malaysia had previously reported that Malay right-wing NGO Pekida would be sending its members to “defend” the paper against Hata and his supporters.
Hata, who stood across the road from the office for about 10 minutes, was met by jeers and taunts by the staff – “Barua!” (goon) “Kau sakit!” (You are sick!) “Balik!” (Go home!).
A man also dashed across the road and kicked his banner, while another threw a packet of fried noodles which splattered on the road.
When met earlier, Hata expressed surprise at the ‘attention’ he received, stating that it was a “personal protest” which he has been doing since 2011, on May 2, to mark his sacking from the paper.
Hata, who served the company for 16 years, was subjected to an internal inquiry before being sacked for issuing statements which allegedly goes against the company’s policies.
“May 2 is also my birthday and World Press Freedom Day. But this year, due to the general elections, I decided to come here on May 20.
“I did not want to involve anybody else because of possible repercussions. If any action was to be taken (by Utusan), I would be the only one affected,” said Hata.
He added, Utusan Malaysia is expected to move out of its present premise by this year, and thus it is significant for him to persist in his call for them to ‘change’.
“I will continue protesting every year until there is a change in the paper’s direction towards upholding principles of ethical journalism,” he said, in stressing that the paper’s predecessor, Utusan Melayu, was a vocal critique of the government led by the nation’s founding father Tunku Abdul Rahman.
