Newly-elected National Union of Journalists (NUJ) president Hata Wahari equated the organisation to a sleeping giant, rising again to fight for the rights of journalists and the freedom of the press.

“The fight never went out of the NUJ, it was kept in a box, a secret box and the box was kept in Maghribi (Morocco)...” quipped Hata to Malaysiakini in an exclusive interview yesterday.

He recounted the organisation’s roots in the 80s where the NUJ was at the forefront of protests and street demonstrations against the then-newly drafted Official Secrets Act (OSA).

NONE “Even if the OSA was passed, it was trimmed down because of our actions. From the original 12 types of documents covered by the Act, it is fewer now. If NUJ can do that once, we can do it again,” said Hata ( right ).

What galvanised him in his campaign to reawaken the ‘sleeping’ NUJ ‘giant’, he said, was an article he read on the HartalMSM blog talking about the untimely demise of the union.

“The article moved me, I responded to the author agreeing that the union died years ago, but the spirit of the NUJ of the 80s are preserved in people like me.

“I told him that the NUJ is a sleeping giant, and a giant once awakened will eat everything in its path,” said the 15-year veteran of the journalistic profession.

Hata, who gained national prominence recently when he announced his pro-media freedom stand, argued that the union, which will turn 50 in 2012, was trapped in a cocoon of its own making, as leaders who took over from the firebrands of the 80s, became busy with bread-and-butter issues and collective agreements.

            

No backbone

“This is until some even accused the union of having no backbone,” he said.

What was needed was a leader to pull the NUJ back to its original ideals, said Hata, something which he deems important as the union represents the image of the profession.

“We play an important role, we are professionals, we convey information (to the public). If we are cowed, we are not professionals but simply machines.”

He added that the NUJ will go the whole nine yards in this fight to liberalise the media from laws like the OSA and the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA).

“If need be we will take to the streets... the NUJ is synonymous with demonstrations and we are well-versed in it. If we must we will return to those roots.”

His task now, the NUJ president said, is to transform the union from its sedate condition into a vocal entity fighting for media liberalisation.

“We want to be the voice that is at the forefront for media freedom. look at Indonesia where the media is so liberal so that anyone can publish a paper and report on anything. But even then, it is done responsibly.

“That is what we want. To liberalise the media from restrictive laws. Our country is the only one still maintaining these outdated laws. Other countries have done away with them,”

        

Liberalise media

Hata said that while people usually see the fight for media freedom as the function of NGOs like the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), the role is more relevant for his organisation.

“NUJ is made up of 1,375 journalists, from Utusan , from NST , from Sinchew , from Nanyang . From a cross section of voices. We are Bangsa Malaysia.”

azlan However, he said that instead of trying to claim the fight as theirs alone, the NUJ will reach out and work together with the NGOs and continue the fight together.

In this campaign, Hata also claimed that he has the support of all the members.

 

He related how he was confronted by NUJ exco members from NST , who with 450 members was the largest NUJ branch.

“They asked why should they give me the presidency? I told them we cannot fight in terms of members but in terms of fighting spirit Utusan journalists were at the forefront. That is what I have and what I want to bring to NUJ,” said Hata.

According to him, after a 45-minute debate, the NST exco members agreed to support him.

But he said that his support is more widespread now that he has announced his vision for NUJ. He is getting support from all branches, even the Chinese papers who did not vote for him, not to mention from outside parties like press freedom NGOs and opposition parliamentarians, said Hata.

But the NUJ leader acknowledge that it may not be all clear skies for the union as there will be resistance from certain quarters who still want to see the media cowed and controlled.

    

“They will do a lot of things, they might even de-register us if we do not hold our meetings properly, for example. They can do anything to us, but we expect this and we are prepared for it.”

“My commitment is, before I retire from journalism, I shall lead this fight to liberalise the media. This is my main purpose, I have prepared for it,” concluded Hata.

VIDEO | 7.30 mins

 

THE HATA WAHARI INTERVIEW

Part 1: President: Sleeping giant NUJ is arising

Part 2: Utusan has lost its way, decries NUJ chief

Part 3: Free press or face chaos, warns Hata