UTUSAN Malaysia and Kosmo will continue publication but the company will increase the cover prices for both Malay language dailies from Friday, said executive chairman Abdul Aziz Sheikh Fadzir.

The cover price of both newspapers will increase by 50 sen to facilitate payment of salaries to more than 800 staff.

From Friday, the cover price for Utusan Malaysia will be RM2 and Kosmo will sell for RM1.50.

Abdul Aziz asked the public to support the ailing 80-year-old Malay language daily and its sister publication, Kosmo.

“We are grateful that people have come forward to help the staff of Utusan, some have given food and donated money, but I want to plead with the public, if you want to help, buy our newspaper, advertise in it, subscribe to our content,” he told reporters after a town hall meeting with staff today.

He promised that the newspaper would strive to produce relevant news with the new price increase.

However, Abdul Aziz said that if things do not pick up, there is no guarantee that the newspaper will not shut down.

“If we can’t afford it, we have to close shop or retrench more of our staff,” he said. 

This afternoon, in a gesture to its staff, Utusan N Melayu (M) Berhad said it will be paying each of their employees RM2,000 tonight as management mulls over closing the two papers in its stable.

Human resources, administration and property general manager Nazlan Osman said the amount was based on the company’s current financial situation.

“The payment will be credited into staff accounts by tonight and it will be deducted from salaries owed by the company.

“We hope that this payment will help ease the staff’s financial situation,” he said in a statement.

Utusan has been in financial crisis since last year, while it failed to meet salary payments from June this year.

It is also having difficulty paying 800 staff members who left under a voluntary separation scheme – a move management believed would help the company stay afloat.

Yesterday afternoon, the papers’ staff had picketed the company over the delay in payment of their salaries. – August 20, 2019.