KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — Umno stalwart Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said it is up to the shareholders of Utusan Malaysia to make the effort to save the newspaper from going under. He said if nothing was done to preserve Utusan, it would be very difficult to continue operating, and could cost people their jobs. 


"Umno holds the largest number of shares, but it is not just them. There are others, and we must remember it is an old paper, a good paper,” said Tengku Razaleigh, who is fondly known as Ku Li. 



He added that he is also one of the biggest shareholders of Utusan, with up to a 30 per cent stake in the company. 



When asked if Umno letting go of its shares in the newspaper would ensure it is more politically neutral, Tengku Razaleigh said that is beside the point. 



"It is an editorial matter. If Utusan has editorial freedom it does not necessarily have to follow Umno’s wishes. 



"That way it has the freedom to write news which it feels can attract more readers. But then again the stereotype that Utusan focuses too much on the party is also wrong,” he said. 



Ideally Tengku Razaleigh said the paper ought to be run as commercially as possible. 



"The reporters working for Utusan should be free to write what they think the public must know, and the public should have access to said information,” he said. 



Similarly he also supported the idea of setting up a Media Council, adding it is in line with the concept of press freedom. 



"(News) reporting should be free from interference of government and political parties. 



"The Council should be the arbiter in safeguarding the rights of the people to press freedom, so long as it is in line with the Federal Constitution,” he said. 



He was speaking to reporters at the launch of his book The End of Umno? New and Expanded Post-GE14 Edition, which analyses the current position of the party, the root causes which caused it to lose the general election, and what can be done in the future.