The Malaysian Insight

UTUSAN Melayu Berhad’s management has been in a meeting since this morning over the fate of the company and its publications, Utusan Malaysia and Kosmo!, that are expected to cease operations tomorrow, sources said.

The group’s board of trustees is said to be discussing ways to save the two publications and is meeting the editorial leadership of both papers.

“There have been proposals by some quarters about ways to save Utusan after reports yesterday that the papers would cease publication on Wednesday,” said one source but did not provide details on the plans.

Another source said there was the possibility of a “white knight” to prevent the country’s oldest Malay newspaper Utusan Malaysia from shutting down.

The paper is widely regarded as the voice of the Malay community.

It was reported yesterday that Utusan Malaysia and sister tabloid Kosmo! would cease publication tomorrow. There has been no mention if their online presence will continue.

Sources yesterday said the staff would be told of the news by group executive chairman Abd Aziz Sheikh Fadzil today.

The leak came after a protest by staff yesterday day over unpaid salaries.

The Malaysian Insight understands that Abd Aziz is to meet all employees in a town hall meeting today evening to explain the company’s position.

Meanwhile, the Utusan Malaysia chapter of the National Union of Journalists’ (NUJ) slammed the news on the ceasing of publication as a rumour aimed at lowering staff morale.

It said the rumour started after an explanation given by one of the editors to the staff yesterday.

“NUJ prefers to wait for an announcement in black and white. We have heard the rumour but we don’t want to entertain it.

“We feel it is an attempt by the company to lower staff morale,” the NUJ source told The Malaysian Insight.

The source also said the rumour served to tarnish NUJ’s name after it organised the picket yesterday to demand for unpaid salaries from June to August.

Utusan Melayu, now a PN17 company, has been plunged into financial crisis since last year.

Its shares on Bursa Malaysia closed yesterday at 0.11 sen and opened this morning at 0.09 sen. – August 20, 2019.