UMNO-owned newspaper Utusan Malaysia has denied accusations that its recent reports attacking newly appointed Attorney-General Tommy Thomas were racist, and said it will not back down from defending the rights of Malays and Islam.

Utusan editor Zulkiflee Bakar said the change in government on May 9 should not mean that media outlets with differing opinions from the government had to be silenced.

“Is this not the era of media freedom, where all opinions can be published as long as they are based on facts and reason?

“Why is it that just because we are in the era of a new Malaysia, the question of the importance of Islam and the Malays is no longer relevant to be discussed?” he wrote in a column published in the paper yesterday.

Yesterday, former Utusan group chief editors Johan Jaaffar and Zainuddin Maidin released an open letter slamming Utusan Malaysia for publishing racist articles regarding the appointment of Thomas as the new attorney-general.

The two veteran journalists said that Utusan’s articles were in danger of provoking racial and religious sentiments in Thomas’ appointment.

They said that Utusan was still caught up in its old mentality, while Malaysia had now moved on to a new era following Pakatan Harapan’s defeat of Barisan Nasional in the 14th general election.

In response, Zulkiflee said Utusan would not abandon its struggle to defend the rights of the Malays and Islam simply because there had been a change in the government, adding that the paper would continue to air critical views of the administration.

“Another thing that needs to be understood is that changing a government doesn’t mean that the rights of a media outlet need to be abandoned.

“Newspapers like Utusan Malaysia will not do so, and while reports about the government are widespread, critical views need to be published for the sake of the people and country.”

Utusan Malaysia has been criticised in the past for its ultra-conservative views on Malay rights.

Zulkiflee said the newspaper had always been true to its cause, and was merely exercising its rights to freedom of speech and the media.

“Stepping into this much-hyped new era does not mean that Utusan needs to back down from its fight in defending the Malays and Islam, along with respecting the rights of other races,” he wrote.

“In fact, this fight will be continued because it is in line with the openness of this new government.” – June 7, 2018.