Political cartoonist Zunar said he would continue to contribute to PAS party organ Harakah after a meeting with the bimonthly newspaper's managing director Hishamuddin Yahya on Wednesday.

He told malaysiakini that he held no grudge against the paper for retracting his controversial cartoon, which likened Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's nose to a pig's snout.

"Things are clearer after the meeting. We talked it out. I'll continue submitting my contributions to them as I think Harakah is still the best platform for my struggle for reformasi," he said when contacted yesterday.

Zunar's cartoon which was published in the latest edition of Harakah came under severe criticisms from Umno leaders and state-owned television station RTM, claiming that the cartoon had insulted Mahathir.

On Tuesday, Harakah issued an apology and retracted the offensive cartoon stating that it had no intention to humiliate anyone by publishing the caricature.

The apology had become a hot topic in the Umno general assembly which started yesterday at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

Rumours

Zunar said that although he respected Harakah's decision to issue the retraction and the apology, he insisted he would not follow suit as he had never intended to humiliate anyone.

"I am not arrogant person. I will apologise if I have done something wrong. But here I believe I have not," he said.

Zunar explained that he did not say that pigs were the cause of Sars - a deadly disease which has killed more than 700 worldwide over the past few months.

"I was careful in choosing the word which was ura-ura (rumours), which means that the animal was rumoured to be linked with the disease. This is not my concoction but based on news report of the disease," he said.

When referred to response of non-Muslims who were offended by his cartoon, Zunar said: "I never had the intention to insult anyone but only wanted to stress that Mahathir is the cause of the hardship that befallen on sekolah agama rakyat, or SAR (private religious schools)."

He said the controversy over the issue would not force him to tone down his work.

"I will continue to be critical as ever," he vowed.

Zunar, who also contributes to malaysiakini, has touched on the matter with his latest cartoon for the daily news website.