Yesterday was another black day for journalism. After four years of penning his much celebrated "Perforated Sheets", former New Straits Times columnist Amir Muhammad was told that his fortnightly satirical column was terminated by the newspaper.

NST literary editor Kee Thuan Chye said in a message posted in the Internet that "the decision came from NST's top editorial management". "It was implied by one of them that First Finance Minister and Umno stalwart Daim Zainuddin hit the roof when Amir's last column, with the heading 'The need for alternatives', came out in print prior to the elections."

"The need for alternatives", written on Nov 21, was a political satire about "bookstores" in Malaysia.

Amir told malaysiakini that he received a phone call informing him about the axing of his column just as he was finishing this week's installment, entitled "Da young shall inherit".

"My first calm, measured thought was: 'The bastards!" said Amir. "But hey, instead of wallowing, I took inspiration from the wise words of the civil-rights anthem "We shall overcome" and Madonna's "I get up again, over and over."

He said it had been fun writing for NST but it turned into a strain because he had to self-censor himself.

"Our newspapers always get increasingly 'cautious' come election time and it looks like I'm a minor casualty. I can't say it was a surprise; I knew trouble was afoot when my Zunar review [a review of 'Malaysia Boleh!' book by Harakah's cartoonist Zunar] was binned in October and my 'The need for alternatives' was cut in half in November," said Amir.

According to a source in NST , Amir had touched on political issues despite that it being a literary column. Moreover, he offered an alternative perspective to readers. This, he said, had "upset the people who owns the paper".

Kee said he tried to persuade the newspaper to run Amir's latest installment but to no avail.

"I appeal to the higher management at least to let him run the column for the last time since Amir have already written it, but the reply was no," he said.

Amir, a freelance writer, is not about to call it quit.

He said that he will post his future articles in the Internet. Readers can access his articles at www.egroups.com/group/amir-muhammad .

Among the article already posted are the controversial review of Zunar's collection of cartoons called "Malaysia Boleh!", the uncut version of "The need for alternatives" and his latest "Da young shall inherit".