I agree with Tai Lo Chin's view that the remarks made by New Straits Times' Shamsul Akmar against Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar are way out of line and smack of selective criticism. However, another angle that we in Malaysia have to look at is that it is a programmed effort by some parties to put Syed Hamid in a bad light.

Due to its control structure, the NST cannot help it when it is used by Umno to fight against the political party's enemies and even some of its own members. The Syed Hamid saga is o­ne of the latter cases. When the Anti-Corruption Agency was investigating Kelantan Umno's information vice-chair Annuar Musa, formerly rural development minister, over the missing RM36 million in the Hardcore Poor Development Programme early last year, the NST and Malay Mail went to town with colour pictures of him o­n their front pages. Looking at the amount of coverage o­n Annuar's story at that time, it was as if there were reporters outside his house 24 hours a day.

The NST Press group is very important to Umno. Over the years the controlling shareholder has changed many times, and each time it changed the emphasis would shift. Now it is their group editor-in-chief who is calling the shots, and not a week passes by without us seeing a photograph of him attending a function or speaking at a seminar. He seems to be getting more coverage
than many ministers, and this has riled many in Umno.

So Tai Lo Chin, the picture is not so straightforward, and for all we know, though Shamsul may have written it, the ideas may not have been totally his!