A group protesting MCA's takeover of two Chinese dailies is calling on Malaysians to boycott four major Chinese dailies as well as the English daily The Star as it claims the newspapers can no longer act in the interest of the public.

The Committee Against the Takeover of Nanyang Press by MCA (CAT) said in a press statement today that it strongly condemns MCA's blatant attempt to control the four major Chinese dailies.

"All Malaysians must boycott Sin Chew Jit Poh , Guang Ming Daily , Nanyang Siang Pau , China Press and The Star as they can no longer act in the best interest of the public with regard to their right to unbiased information," said its chairman Tang Ah Chai.

"We view this as a serious infringement on the relative independence and freedom enjoyed by the Chinese press all this while, which is the cornerstone of a civil society," he said.

Yesterday, MCA's financial arm Huaren Management took over 72 percent in Nanyang Press for RM230 million in cash from tycoon Quek Leng Chan's Hume Industries and its wholly-owned subsidiary Hume Plastics.

Nanyang Press publishes Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press whereas Huaren also owns English-language daily The Star .

It has also been reported that Sin Chew Jit Poh is eyeing a stake in Nanyang Press. The daily has not come out openly to deny the reports.

'Lame excuse'

CAT also criticised Sin Chew for abdicating its journalistic responsibility by failing to report and reflect the public opinion on this "hostile takeover".

"The daily's lame excuse of 'non-intervention in a competitor's internal affairs' as the reason for the blackout of a matter of great public interest, has no validation," said Tang.

" Sin Chew has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in the deal; we find it extremely unsettling to learn that the management of Nanyang Siang Pau has already been taken over by individuals closely identified with Sin Chew ," he added.

However, when a CAT delegation met Sin Chew 's public relations manager Lai Sin Siang today, the latter denied the daily was involved in the takeover and claimed that its chief executive officer's PC Liew's move to Nanyang was a "personal decision and should not be related to the company".

Liew has been appointed the chief operations officer of Nanyang Press while other senior management staff from Sin Chew have also taken over responsibilities at Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press effective today.

CAT secretary Wong Chin Huat said that Lai's explanation was not convincing."We want them to answer. Why was it a direct transition of management from Sin Chew to Nanyang ?" he asked.

Protest

This afternoon 10 representatives of CAT went to the Sin Chew office in Petaling Jaya to obtain an explanation from its management on the matter but were told that only Lai was available.

"Hence, we posed four questions to him concerning their stand on the takeover and whether they were involved. Also on why Sin Chew failed to provide a balanced reporting over the past three weeks and why they transfered their top management to rival papers," said Wong.

Some 40 protestors comprising students and staff of the two dailies staged a protest outside the Sin Chew Jit Poh office today, chanting "integrity below everything" - an obvious dig at Sin Chew

's slogan 'integrity above all' - and "boycott Sin Chew Jit Poh !" The protest was organised by CAT.

Yesterday, more than 100 journalists from the two dailies under Nanyang Press Holdings had staged a historic picket outside their offices against the takeover.