SHAH ALAM, Sept 20 ― Sinar Harian stopped columns by Ridhuan Tee Abdullah as it wanted a change and not because it was forced to do so, said the chief editor of the Malay language newspaper.
Datuk Abdul Jalil Ali explained that the change was just procedural as most columnists were retained for one or two years.
"He wasn't dropped, all the columnists have their time period. I think Ridhuan is among the longest, (he wrote) for almost three years," he told reporters when met after a forum today.
"There is no pressure from Umno or MCA or what. He has been given the freedom to write all this long, no matter what he writes," he added.
Ismaweb reported today that Tee’s weekly Monday column had been dropped by Sinar since September 5, further claiming that the lecturer was also prohibited on commenting on this.
Tee, a Muslim convert of Chinese ethnicity, is most known for his combative pieces that primarily criticise the “ultra kiasu”, a pet term he uses for the DAP and the Chinese community that supports the opposition party.
He also occasionally targets other Chinese-based groups, such as the MCA.
Tee recently came under criticism, including from Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, for claiming that Malaysian athletes were only driven by money.
