Pro-Umno bloggers The Unspinners have continued firing at the Umno-linked New Straits Times Press (NSTP) after its daily Berita Harian gave space to sacked Public Service Department secretary-general Abu Bakar Abdullah for comment.

In a new round of attacks, the group blog accused NSTP group managing editor Abdul Jalil Hamid of retaining liberal Malays in New Straits Times and Berita Harian , insisting that he resign.

"The demand yesterday for Abdul Jalil to resign was serious, it is not like (blogger) Rocky Bru's gentle reminder," they said.

Yesterday, The Unspinners had accused Jalil of sabotaging Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak by highlighting Abu Bakar's sacking who would otherwise have bowed out quietly.

Blogger Rocky Bru - veteran journalist and editor Ahiruddin Attan who was once attached to NSTP - had also reprimanded Abdul Jalil.

Termination revealed

The circumstances behind Abu Bakar departure had been unclear until he revealed on Sunday in Berita Harian that he had not retired but was terminated.

NONE Abu Bakar ( right ) was blamed for the botched Public Services Remuneration Scheme (SBPA) which would have seen top government officials gain hefty pay hikes while low level government servants would have received increases as low as RM10.

In a subtle defence today, Abdul Jalil in a comment piece in New Straits Times entitled ‘Of accountability in the civil service and putting people first' derided the scheme.

"You don't ask the top-ranking officers to decide their own remuneration package," he penned, adding that it raised much hostility and negativity against the government.

The comment piece was unusually published on the top-most section of the second page which is normally reserved for news stories.

In it Abdul Jalil noted: "Subsequently, there had been calls for the chief secretary to the government, who is the head of the civil service, and director-general of the PSD, to take responsibility for the botched-up SBPA plan".

Communications head

Abdul Jalil was appointed as NSTP group managing editor on Oct 15 last year.

Prior to this, Abdul Jalil was the Securities Commission's corporate affairs department's senior general manager in 2009 before being seconded as national communications head of the Prime Minister's Office.

Despite this, The Unspinners blog has been relentless against the NSTP, going on to name journalists and editors in NSTP whom the blog claimed to be liberals or pro-opposition, retained or roped in by Abdul Jalil.

"That is why the NST now does not help in explaining the government and the political communication of Umno and BN," the blog said.