The newly-elected National Union of Journalists president Hata Wahari has taken up cudgels against the backlash sparked by his remarks on Utusan Malaysia ’s top editors and Perkasa.

nuj new president hata wahari Hata ( left ) maintains, amidst fierce criticism, that he is not going against anyone, but is simply acting as a professional journalist.

"I am not tarnishing the image of Utusan Malaysia . I have always maintained that the newspaper as a whole should not be blamed for anything.

"Instead, it is the senior editors who are at fault. Not the newspaper which has more than 1,000 staff working under it," said Hata, who himself works for the daily.

He was speaking in response to a report by Utusan today, quoting the Utusan Malaysia Veteran's Club president Raja Ahmad Niza Raja Ismail lambasting him for "going against the company".

utusan report against nuj hata 230910 He had also urged Hata to resign from the company if the latter "insists on biting the hand that feeds him".

To that, Hata replied that he has no reason to resign.

"Why should I leave the Utusan ? I hope that the reporters will make the Utusan a paper that reports truthfully and fairly to continue to be the community's voice.

"I defend that the principles of the newspaper. So why should I be asked to leave?" he said.

Unethical journalists should quit

The Utusan journalist of 15 years also did not hold back his punches, calling Raja Ahmad Niza, a "self-serving" journalist.

"The NUJ is glad that he is no longer in Utusan because he is a third class journalist to begin with. He only has political and self-serving interests.

"In fact, any reporter or editor in the newspaper not holding the highest journalistic ethics of objectivity should leave ," he told Malaysiakini .

Hata also scoffed at claims that he is "pro-opposition", as charged by his detractors.

"I'm a professional journalist. I don't take sides and I'm impartial. I have never been involved in political functions and I don't have links to any political party. I have my journalism ethics," he said.

bar council debate on judicial commission 250407 nazri abd aziz Hata, who was elected as NUJ president just last Friday at the Biennial Delegates Conference, has been under intense fire since his first statement which accused the top Utusan editors of being guided by political interests in their editorial policies.

The whole issue was born during the height of the war of words between Minister in Prime Minister's Department Mohamed Nazri Aziz ( right ) and the daily, in which the minister had claimed that the newspaper was deliberately hampering national unity efforts.

And Perkasa had jumped into the fray, slamming the unionist and labelling him pro-Pakatan Rakyat.

Hata had also risen to the defence of the NUJ, boasting 1,335 members, pointing out that it is an apolitical organisation.

"My advice to Perkasa, is to take care of Perkasa members, and to fulfil their duties and responsibilities as mandated by their members.

"Perkasa should also not be partisan towards any political party," he said