Utusan owner Najib urged to stop harassing Hata
Journalists federation asks
Prime Minister and
Umno president to intervene
The International Federation of Journalists, the umbrella body of journalists unions, has asked Najib Tun Razak to intervene in the actions taken by Utusan Malaysia against NUJ president Hata Wahari, who has been ordered by Utusan management to face a domestic inquiry.
Utusans publisher, the public-listed Utusan Melayu (Malaysia) Bhd, is owned by Umno.
Jacqueline Park also asked Najib, as prime minister of Malaysia, to defend constitutional rights of freedom of expression, and to urge Utusan to uphold these constitutional rights which in Hatas case had been violated by Utusans actions against him for speaking out as NUJ president.
The IFJ also reminded Najib that journalistic code of ethics held that journalists could not be disciplined for asserting their rights to act according to conscience.
The text of the IFJ letter:
Datuk Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak
Prime Minister of Malaysia
Office of The Prime Minister,
Main Block, Perdana Putra Building,
Federal Government Administrative Centre,
62502 Putrajaya MALAYSIA
Via email: najibrazak@pmo.gov
RE: Hata Wahari Domestic Inquiry
Dear Prime Minister,
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is writing to express to you our deep concerns about the actions of the management of Utusan Malaysia in conducting a domestic inquiry against journalist and union leader Hata Wahari.
The IFJ understands that the inquiry is set to recommence hearings on January 25, purportedly ! to inves tigate Mr Wahari for making statements regarding the legitimate professional concerns of journalists. These concerns have particular regard to ethical issues facing editorial staff at Utusan Malaysia, which is owned by United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).
The IFJ notes that Article 10 of Malaysias Federal Constitution guarantees freedom of expression of all citizens, which makes no exceptions on the basis of profession.
As President of the National Union of Journalists Malaysia, an IFJ affiliate, Mr Wahari is further bound by the IFJs Principles of Journalism Ethics, which, in part say the following:
No journalist should be directed by an employer or any person acting on behalf of the employer to commit any act or thing that the journalist believes would breach his or her professional ethics, whether defined by a code of ethics adopted by journalists collected at national level or that would infringe the international Code of Principles for the Conduct of Journalism as adopted by the IFJ. No journalist can be disciplined in any way for asserting his or her rights to act according their conscience.
The IFJ therefore respectfully requests that in your capacity as President of UMNO you urge the newspaper to withdraw the inquiry and engage in no further victimisation of Mr Wahari.
We further urge you in your capacity as Prime Minister of Malaysia to remind Utusan Malaysias managers of their obligations under your countrys Constitution.
Mr Wahari has the right to be reinstated to his professional position at the paper immediately, and we ask that you defend this right.
Yours Sincerely,
Jacqueline Park
Director IFJ Asia-Pacific
The International Federation of Journalists, based in Brussels, comprises journalists trade unions representing 600,000 journalists in 125 countries.
Hata Wahari, suspended from duties by Utusan and not allowed to enter the offi! ce, at w ork as a journalist at a make-shift office on the pavement outside Utusan Malaysia last week. He believes Utusan is out to sack him. Then Ill sell Nasi Lemak Media Bebas outside Utusan, he said jocularly. [Photo: MalaysiaKini]
Comments