The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) is disappointed at the sequence of events that has led to the resignation of Mohamed Hata Wahari as National Union of Journalists (NUJ) president.

Hata reportedly said that he has resigned following the NUJ executive council's decision that he could no longer be president since he was dismissed from Utusan Malaysia .

CIJ reiterates its earlier criticism of Utusan's disciplinary action against Hata for speaking out for press freedom in his capacity as NUJ president.

CIJ is of the view that Hata's dismissal and now, resignation from the journalist body he had led, is a step backward in media freedom and a serious curtailment of a union leader's right to speak up on issues affecting the profession.

This includes the right to speak up if there are issues involving their own media organisation.

In the light of the decades of restrictions on media freedom faced by Malaysian journalists, the need for a strong and vocal union head could not be greater.

As in the past years, Malaysia was classified "not free" in Freedom House's 2011 global press freedom rankings, coming in at a dismal 143 out of 196 countries.

Reports of journalists being threatened, such as that of two journalists who were threatened with physical violence by supporters of the proposed Lynas rare earth plant in Kuantan, are also not uncommon.

CIJ views the resignation of Hata, who has been vocal about his views on press freedom, as a disadvantage to the profession. His tenure as NUJ president has been a welcome breath of fresh air on the Malaysian media scene.

CIJ hopes that the NUJ will continue to play its vital role of defending journalists and speaking out for press freedom, despite this latest setback and the dangerous precedent it may set for all union leaders, and not only those from the NUJ.

A journalist union needs to be vocal, not just when negotiating contractual agreements between journalists and media organisations, but also in speaking out for the public interest, as the NUJ has done in these past few months.

 

The Centre for Independent Journalism, Malaysia (CIJ) is a non-profit organisation that aspires for a society that is democratic, just and free, where all peoples will enjoy free media and the freedom to express, seek and impart information.