Ex-Utusan journalist joins DAP

Tarani Palani | January 19, 2012

DAP is relentlessly wooing the Malays and the latest to join them is former NUJ president Hata Wahari.

PETALING JAYA: Has DAP scored another win with former National Union of Journalist (NUJ) president Hata Wahari now joining their stable of Malay members?

Hata, who was sacked as a journalist from Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia last year, was once described by party stalwart Lim Kit Siang as a “victim of hypocrisy”.

As NUJ president, he had been highly critical of the mainstream media urging them “to return to their true function as deliverers of objective information to the public, and not be tools of propaganda for the government, or any political party or individual, for their personal gain.”

Speaking to FMT today, Hata, said he is bent on informing Malays about DAP and “clearing the air” over existing misconceptions about the party.

“DAP is the party that is slandered the most by mainstream media, particularly Utusan. I need to defend DAP that it is not a racist party but a party that supports Malaysia as a whole.

“I’ll be concentrating on the south (Johor),” said Hata who hails from Kluang, Johor.

Hatta is the latest personality to join DAP which has been targeting “thinking” Malays post-2008 GE to increase its support within the community.

Two weeks ago, the party scored a coup when Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s former Umno Pekan division information chief Mohamad Ariff Sabri Aziz and Negri Sembilan Umno veteran Aspan Alias joined the party.

DAP is ‘principled’

Already onboard DAP are Transparency International Malaysia founder Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim who is now the party’s vice chairman and former Umno education minister Khir Johari’s son Zairil who is currently Lim Guan Eng’s political secretary.

Hata said it took him six months to decide and that his entry to DAP was inspired by the party’s principles.

“I picked DAP because its principles is best suited for me, principles such as press freedom and to be able to work independently,” he said.

Hata, who was a former media consultant to PKR vice- president, Nurul Izzah Anwar, said he would use his journalistic skills to spread the message that DAP was a principled party.

“As a former journalist the best way I can help is to explain to these people what DAP actually is… to clear the air about the party and (convey), that it upholds the constitution,” he said.

Hatta said his 11 brother and sisters would also be joining DAP.