The Sarawak Tribune

The Malaysian government decided to suspend The Sarawak Tribune newspaper’s publication permit. This action was taken after the newspaper re-published the cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad. It seems that the cabinet unanimously agreed this decision this week. The Sarawak Tribune editorial advisor expressed their regrets of what has happened and at the same time maintains that they totally understand why such actions are taken against them.

Today, The Sarawak Tribune is history following their announcement to close down the newspaper. Although their permit was suspended indefinitely, it seems logical to them to close down since there is no point of continuing operation when they cannot publish anything.

And without realizing it or not, the real victim here is the employees of The Sarawak Tribune. They have been working with the newspaper for 20-30 years and they could be in their mid-40s by now. Once they lose their job with the newspaper, will it be easy for them to find another job? This is no longer a question of who is offended by who but it is an ethical issue. Should they be punished for something that they themselves cannot even control? The mistakes were made by the editorial board and the editorial board should be held responsible, not the workers.

Yes, I know the publication of those cartoons are offensive and against the Malaysian culture and norm where the majority people are Muslims. Still, should the workers pay for something they didn’t do? I don’t think so. Ciao ciao.

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