New Sarawak Tribune

The Sarawak Tribune was an English-language Malaysian newspaper published in Kuching, Sibu and Bintulu, in Sarawak. Established in 1945, publication of the paper was indefinitely suspended in 2006 following controversy pertaining to the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, but it reappeared in 2010 as the New Sarawak Tribune.

Overview and history

Originally formed by teachers in 1945, the Sarawak Tribune was the second English language daily in Sarawak, and was, prior to its suspension, the state's oldest and largest operating state daily, with over 400 employees throughout the state and 70 editorial staff in Kuching. The daily was regarded as a legacy of British colonial Sarawak.

Its sister paper was the state Malay-language daily, Utusan Sarawak. Formerly, its other sister paper was the state Mandarin daily, Chinese Daily News, now known as United Daily.

It was last owned by Sarawak Press Sdn Bhd.

2006 Muhammad cartoons controversy

During the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, the daily reprinted a collection of the cartoons on page 17 of the February 4, 2006 edition to illustrate a story on the topic titled "Cartoon No Big Impact Here". The publication drew flak from the Malaysian government, which consisted predominantly of Muslim politicians. As a result, Lester Melanyi, an editor of the newspaper, resigned from his post for allowing the reprinting of the cartoon.

Company advisor Senator Datuk Idris Buang announced that the daily would choose to suspend itself. The paper was officially suspended on February 9, 2006, while a formal letter was delivered to Idris at the daily's main office. The group editor, Toman Mamora, resigned soon after. The daily's indefinite suspension has been generally described as a loss.

Successor

A new tabloid, the Eastern Times, is said to take over Sarawak Tribune's place. Its printing license was approved on March 1, and began publication on March 26, 2006.

The Eastern Times is owned by Total Progressive Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of a real-estate developing corporation and government-linked company, Naim Cendera Holdings Limited. The company was renamed Eastern Times News Sdn Bhd in May 2006.

The New Sarawak Tribune

On 19 May 2010, New Sarawak Tribune returned to the newsstand after a four-year hiatus. Tribune Press Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Hamed Sepawi said during its shutdown, the management "took time to reflect and reinvigorate ourselves".

The prefix “The New” signifies a fresh beginning and replaces Eastern Times (like it did the old Tribune), which had its purpose in life, born as it were from a blot in the paper’s history. There’s no running away from the fact that the old Tribune was suspended in 2006 as a result of an error of judgment on our part.

External links

• former Sarawak Tribune official website
• Sarawak Tribune returns to newstands
• Sarawak paper prints Prophet cartoon, editor quits
• End of the road for Sarawak Tribune?
• Sarawak needs new English daily, says top Tribune exec
• Was there a coup d'état lately?
• Reincarnation Of Sarawak Tribune
• A Nation of Morons