From The South China Morning Post, HK
20th January 2000
IAN STEWART in Kuala Lumpur

A top newspaper editor has stepped down under pressure from senior politicians amid growing frustration among ruling coalition leaders at public scepticism towards the establishment press.

A. Kadir Jasin, senior group editor of the New Straits Times, has taken indefinite leave. A source said the day-to-day running of the English-language newspaper would be handled by a committee until a replacement had been found.

The source said the immediate reason for his departure was anger within the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) over articles published in the newspaper which questioned a proposal to have the Prime Minister and his deputy re-elected unopposed as president and deputy president of the dominant government party.

The articles appeared to be an attempt to give the newspaper a more controversial image, in tandem with a revamp of its layout - both undertaken with the aim of halting a slide in readership.

But with the leadership already unhappy with the perceived failure of the New Straits Times and its Malay-language sister papers to deliver Umno's campaign message effectively ahead of the recent general election, the articles angered some in the party.

Mr Kadir is a casualty of the post-mortem under way within Umno over its electoral losses.

The opposition seized two states and cut the ruling National Front coalition's majority in Parliament.

Mr Kadir is being blamed for the sharp fall in circulation of the New Straits Times, although all establishment newspapers lost readers in the wake of the sacking and jailing of Anwar Ibrahim, the former deputy prime minister. The credibility of the Government and the media crumbled with the authorities' failure to combat the damage done when Anwar appeared in court with a black eye, inflicted, it was learned later, by the national police chief.

Malaysians have increasingly turned to alternative sources for their news gathering such as the Internet, including the new online newspaper Malaysiakini.com, and to opposition party organs. The circulation of Harakah, published by the Parti Islam se-Malaysia, soared.

Sources close to the New Straits Times said government leaders were hoping changes could be made to the paper that would increase its circulation.

But if it is not allowed to question Umno decisions it is unlikely to regain credibility with the public and boost its readership. The arrest of Harakah's editor last week on a charge of sedition could lead to the newspaper's demise, but that will not help the New Straits Times lure lost readers.

The New Straits Times group is supposedly independent. But its parent is Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad, whose directors have close links with key Umno officials.

The sacking in 1998 of media figures linked to Anwar left Mr Kadir as Malaysia's most senior journalist. His departure leaves a vacuum.