YOURSAY 'So now they admit Utusan can't increase its circulation by writing concocted trash about the opposition; thus it needs a 'helping hand'...'

MCA: Ahmad, it's not GLCs' job to back Utusan

your say, Yoursay Ksn: Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan is indirectly saying that fanaticism, religious extremism and racism is okay, and it should be promoted and supported by public funds.

Indeed, MCA has said something sensible and right. But what about MIC, Gerakan and others of BN?

These Umno ministers believe that they can say anything, do anything however stupid without any logic, without any intelligence. They are lording over the country, imagine that.

Kamaapo: I thought only the famed altruistic home minister and the attorney-general are concerned about the survival of print media , thus trying to block any newcomers from entering the already crowded field.

Now, a deputy finance minister says GLCs (government-linked companies) have an 'obligation' to ensure the survival of the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia .

So now they admit that Utusan can't increase its circulation by writing concocted trash about the opposition; thus it needs a 'helping hand' (public money) to carry on its ‘national service'.

Why other print media can make a profit on their own? It's a big shame, and raises questions of integrity, ethics, prudence and propriety. But we know these people are sadly devoid of them.

Anonymous #02382443: No wonder all such corporations are bound to fail; spending money on advertising that does nothing to reach your target audience. Any first-year marketing student will tell you that this is stupid.

Anonymous_4048: You scratch my back, I scratch yours. You are elected to ensure the people's money are properly spent. Now you are bailing out Umno newspapers.

Chiew Eng Ng: What do you expect from the NEP-raised ministers? Their cronies are supported at public expense. They have no shame whatsoever in depending on the rakyat's money to survive.

There's no such thing as merit or earning one's keep. Only a parasite mentality sucking up our public funds. To MCA, you should have voiced out whatever that is not right with your master long ago, rather than put your party's existence to the test now.

But do keep voicing out in a consistent manner for us to further judge whether we want you to exist or not.

SusahKes: Is MCA vice-president Gan Peng Sieu seriously expecting the Chinese votes to return to MCA by issuing this statement? I don't think so, for as long as MCA remains in partnership with Umno, the voter's perception of the party remains. Certainly, I'm not impressed.

Paul Warren: There is a better chance for me making it to heaven advertising and supporting porn magazines and Playboy than to advertise in Utusan . One is about bare honesty. The other is about twisting truth and magnifying lies.

MP: GLCs, do public duty by advertising more in Utusan

Geronimo: "The advertising move is a two-pronged strategy - it allows GLCs to fulfil their public duty and upholds the constitution, which makes Bahasa Malaysia the national language to unite all people," said Kepala Batas MP Reezal Merican Naina Merican.

Reezal, are you telling us, the taxpayers, that without the GLCs, Utusan is unable to uphold the constitution and to make Bahasa Malaysia the national language"?

Now, isn't this statement by Reezal a giveaway that Utusan is going downhill? How could they possibly help to unite the people when all they did was to write hate articles and demonise the non-Malays?

Commentable: Don't beat around the bush and let's call a spade a spade. It is all about money - money to be dished out by our GLCs to bail out a racist news media that serves only one race.

Let's not hide it under a different guise, like for the good of the national language. This kind of excuse makes right-thinking Malaysians want to puke.

Bernard Phillips: After five decades, you still need the government to support these newspapers? Why? If they are losing money it is because their papers are not selling. Why? Because they just report loads of rubbish and even Malays don't bother to buy them.

So Reezal, as an MP do some serious thinking for a change and find a better way to raise funds for these papers.

Mushiro: If the readership of Utusan is dwindling then they need to find the root cause and rectify the problem for the paper to be healthy. Forcing the GLCs to advertise there will only kill the GLCs.

Haji Budin: In business, one cannot simply buy advertisement without purpose and without understanding the media's popularity and its circulation size. Malay newspapers such as Utusan is no longer popular even among the Malays.

Umno's habit of interfering in the management of companies, especially GLCs, such as this kind of decision is the real cause why most GLCs are not performing, with many on the brink of bankruptcy.

Umno might as well ask all GLCs to donate 10 percent of their income to all Malay newspapers instead. This to me would seem more intelligent.

Good Men: This is a clear abuse of power because Reezal is using his position as an Umno leader to instruct publicly-owned entities to use taxpayers money to prop up a business owned by his party, Umno.

How much clearer can it be? Why is the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) so silent on this?

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