The People’s Justice Party has been given approval to publish a newspaper following the election in March, which saw the ruling party Barisan Nasional cede considerable power to its opponents.
For the past four years, Suara Keadilan, an opposition paper, has been published and circulated among party members only. Now, a licence has been approved permitting the title to also be sold to non-members.
Shukri Rifaie, CEO of Publicis Malaysia, said there was an opportunity for another newspaper to establish itself in Malaysia, despite being a crowded market, as long as a close eye is kept on content.
“The advertising market has grown by 15 per cent in the past year, and 56 per cent of that spend goes on newspapers.
“If this newspaper offers a different perspective and is not overly critical of government then advertisers will be interested,” he said.
Suara Keadilan, a bilingual bi-weekly, reportedly has a circulation of 100,000 and is sold to members for RM2 (US 60 cents).
The newspaper apparently has plans to beef up its content once it starts circulation of the title among non-members. Karthi Palanisamy, managing director of independent agency Crush Malaysia, said: “There is room for another English newspaper in Malaysia but the question is what will the character of such a newspaper be?
“Readership has fallen significantly over the past two years for most Malaysian newspapers.” Palanisamy estimated a fall in readership of between 20 to 30 per cent for all newspapers in Malaysia, and says that youngsters were now spending more time on the internet and watching pay TV. Rishya Joseph, SVP, regional director, Y&R Malaysia added: “The Malaysian newspaper market is saturated so content is key.
Any new paper must offer differentiated content and a new perspective if it is to survive.”
