Around 100 people held a candle-light vigil in front of the MCA headquarters in Kuala Lumpur last night to commemorate the first year anniversary of the takeover of Nanyang Press Holdings by the political party.

The crowd of mostly college students and Chinese press journalists lit candles on the pavement in front of Wisma MCA on Jalan Ampang and sat down for more than an hour to listen to the speeches by several former journalists and activists against the takeover.

Journalists from Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press , both of which are published by Nanyang Press, also came to show solidarity, together with their peers in rival newspaper Sin Chew Jit Poh and other press.

Among those who spoke were Tang Ah Chai, who heads the Committee Against Takeover of Nanyang Press, former Nanyang journalist Chou Z Lam and former China Press chief reporter Lee Kian Kiong.

Chou, who was in Nanyang for three years before he resigned in protest last year, said there has been substantial changes in the newspaper since the takeover despite the then newly appointed chief editor's 'assurances' to the contrary.

"Two important columns were taken off after the takeover," he said, adding that Nanyang has lost its credibility.

Last November, Nanyang revamped its Sunday supplement which was known for featuring critical opinions.

The 'victim' of the revamp was a full-page opinion column on the cover, called Nanyang Saloon.

Since 1998, Nanyang Saloon had earned a reputation of initiating in-depth interviews with intellectuals, activists and politicians on a wide range of topical issues such as reformasi and the state of Chinese education in Malaysia.

The Youth section of Nanyang which carries critical features was also revamped.

Defiant youths

Another speaker at the vigil, Lee, was one of the eight senior editorial members forced to leave China Press after the takeover. He voiced his happiness that many young people had come to show their stand on the issue.

"The struggle for press freedom must never stop," said the former journalist who is now working in the corporate sector.

The event coordinated by Writers Alliance for Media Independence activist Wong Chin Huat was allowed to proceed for more than an hour before a score of police personnel dispersed the crowd. No untoward incident occurred during the vigil.

However, four youths defiantly sat in a circle with candles in the middle, refusing to move despite the police order. After a minor argument, the police relented and permitted them to sit on the pavement for another 10 minutes.

One of them later told malaysiakini that they were "celebrating Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's birthday".

MCA officially took over Nanyang Press on May 28 last year.

Huaren Holdings, the MCA investment arm which also owns major English daily The Star , purchased a combined stake of 72 percent in Nanyang from Hume Industries and its wholly owned subsidiary Hume Plastics for RM230 million.

The takeover received strong objections from various quarters within the Chinese community, including a faction within the MCA which led to the current split in the party.

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