THE country’s oldest Malay-language media institution, Utusan Melayu group, collapsed under the weight of its accumulated debts of between RM240 million and RM340 million.

The closure of the company, which published Utusan Malaysia that was set up in 1967 and Utusan Melayu in 1939, also witnessed the relief of duties among its more than 800 employees.

Many of them are journalists who went through thick and thin in the company’s often tumultuous journey in recent times. Their welfare should be of importance to the management, apart from the profit margin.

It’s disturbing that these employees were given abrupt notice about the closure, which, in turn, can cause havoc to whatever plans they have put in place.

A bitter parting it was, especially when the top management reportedly refused to even inform them personally, let alone tell them about the future direction of the company.

Uncertain future and economic hardships would certainly haunt these workers and their immediate families, especially at a time when the cost of living has gone up and jobs are hard to come by, particularly in an industry that has laid off many people in recent times.

Hopefully, appropriate compensation would be dispensed to them so as to help tide them over in these difficult times.

A reported move to revive the newspaper may not necessarily be a happy news for the affected staff as not all of them would be re-employed under the new management.

It is hoped that any attempt to revive this paper in the future would consider the importance of starting it off without the baggage of the past.

This is to say that a revived Utusan Malaysia must strive to operate as a newspaper that does not compromise its journalistic ethics so as to enhance its credibility and earn the trust of its readers.

Indeed, its integrity may be threatened if the vested interests of its owner coincide with those of a ruling party as this factor may interfere with the daily running of the paper.

Worse, if the revived paper once again serves as a convenient platform for the party concerned to the extent that truth and fairness in reporting become an irritating obstacle to the party’s narrow agenda.

It was recently reported that the newspaper’s ownership will be transferred to tycoon Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, a businessman that is said to be close to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, through a company called Aurora Mulia Sdn Bhd.

The company reportedly also has 31.22% stake in Media Prima, which points to the question of concentration of media ownership that we have seen for decades, and also a cause for concern for those who jealously guard media freedom.

If we need reminding, it’s political intervention in the running of the defunct Utusan, particularly by its major shareholder Umno, that largely led to its fall.

In the attempt to cater to the political needs of the party concerned, the paper had violated journalistic ethics to the extent of being riddled with legal suits that cost it dearly in terms of monetary compensation.

The dire consequences of letting a political party own and control a newspaper was foreseen by the paper’s editor in the 60’s, Said Zahari, who led a 100-day strike in 1961 against Umno’s move to take over the newspaper, which it eventually succeeded.

Indeed, a newspaper such as Utusan often incurred the wrath of people, whose views are inconsonant with that of the powers-that-be because of its unethical journalism from time to time.

A paper under such circumstances is bound to alienate readers who are concerned with verified and credible news and accountability. This may also be a cause for concern among advertisers of the newspaper concerned.

Distortion of truth in certain information published largely explains the drastic erosion of readership of the paper in recent years, which, in turn, led to the migration of readers to online newspapers.

It’s no trade secret that a newspaper’s integrity, which is obviously vital, is built over many years. But it only takes a short spell to break it down. – October 10, 2019.