WHEN Lim Cheng Hoe signed up as a union member in Penang 16 years ago, it was an exciting time for NUJ-Star members.

Lim, who is now StarTwo Editor, recalls the period as being “quite hot”.
The two big issues of the day for the union then were the deadlock in the Star-NUJ Collective Agreement (CA) negotiations and the amendments to the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

“The CA then was not very good and the committee was in a deadlock with management. We were told to put on arm bands as a sign of protest.
“Members, especially in Penang, were very supportive of the committee and actively participated in the action.

“We would wear the arm band while on assignment, and because it was an election year, it caught the attention of MCA candidates as well,” Lim said in an interview recently when asked to recall the union’s earlier days.

He said union members would also picket during lunch outside the office holding banners and placards.

“We did not work to rule. We were generally civil and did not jeopardise daily operations,” Lim said, adding that the relationship with the Penang bosses remained good throughout the protests.

He said at that time Penang members wanted to hold out to the end, but PJ members wanted to give in to a faster settlement.

Lim noted that Penang members then were actively involved in union matters.

Wong Chun Wai, who is now Executive Editor, also recalls NUJ’s heyday in the 1980s.
He joined the union while in Penang in 1980 and by 1986 was actively involved in the NUJ’s national campaign against the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

(The NUJ president then was Yazid Othman from Utusan Melayu and its general secretary Bob Teoh from Business Times.)

The public campaign, known as the “NUJ 3-Point OSA Campaign `86″, included public forums, special campaign letterheads, logos, car stickers, T-shirts, posters, post cards, protest badges, open letters, petition forms and a 32-page Briefing Paper on the OSA in four languages produced within a week.

“We wore black arm bands against the OSA. Our battle cry then was ‘OSA Dosa!’” Wong said, adding that the period was an enlightening one for journalists.

Wong himself spoke at a public forum with former NUJ assistant general secretary Thomas Lee, and former MPs Karpal Singh and Goh Cheng Teik.

According to the NUJ’s 1984/86 Biennial General Meeting (BGM) report, a three-page petition against the amendments was handed to every MP in Parliament five days after the OSA Amendment Bill was tabled for its first reading in the Dewan Rakyat.

At one of the public forums, the NUJ invited poet laureate Usman Awang for a “Poems for Freedom” session.

“It was a very visible campaign because we all felt that the OSA was an infringement of the principles of press freedom,” Wong said, noting that at that time, journalists and editors from different newspapers were united on issues affecting the press.

“Today, there are so many splinter groups within the profession who don’t seem to have common aspirations,” he added.

As a branch, Wong said The Star was very “committed and idealistic” with a focus on national issues, and members were very co-operative in national campaigns launched by the exco.

“The NUJ has to be more than just the CA. It must play a more prominent role on issues which affect the profession,” he said, noting that the NUJ was now seen as being merely a “CA negotiator.”

“As journalists, we should speak up and write on these issues,” he added.