Lim said former New Straits Times’ (NST) Group Editor Mustapha Kamil Mohd Janor’s resignation was admirable as the latter chose to uphold his “truth discipline” over the “lies and games” played by the daily.
“In these dark times, where free speech is under attack, we are very uplifted by a journalist like Mustapha Kamil. Even though he worked for NST, he never allowed NST to change him.
“He refused to be part of the game of delusion, lies, deception and deceit which NST practised.
“Mustapha upheld his truth discipline. I want to record my respects and pay a tribute to him,” Lim said at a press conference in Komtar today.
Lim then quoted from Plato to describe Mustapha’s departure from the daily.
“Plato had said: ‘We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.’
“Mustapha has shown he is not afraid of the light. He has sacrificed to shine the light (on truth). This is a journalist we can be proud of.”
Earlier, Lim read in full to reporters Mustapha’s Facebook status update explaining why he left NST after 27 years.
Mustapha, who joined the NST in 1989, is best known for his stint as the daily’s foreign correspondent in New York. He has held several top editorial posts in the company in his near-three decade tenure.
In his lengthy public post on Facebook, Mustapha talked of the many reasons behind his leaving, the most notable being: “In my 27 years of being a journalist, I never once subscribed to the saying that if you can’t beat them, join them.”
Meanwhile, Lim also paid homage to online news portals, such as Malaysiakini and the now defunct The Malaysian Insider, for braving themselves against a “crackdown by the government.”
“We admire reporters such as those in Malaysiakini and The Malaysian Insider like (its founder and chief editor) Jahabar (Sadiq), for willing to stand for the truth, speak up for the truth and pay the ultimate price.
“In other countries, they pay with their lives. In Malaysia, they go to prison for upholding the truth.”
Last week, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang, along with other netizens, cheered Mustapha’s resignation from NST.
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