The New Straits Times hit the streets on the 8th April  across Sabah, offering locals a wider perspective of what is happening in the country.

Printed here, the newspaper will now hit the stands earlier compared to before when it used to be sent by flight from Peninsular Malaysia.

News on Sabah and Sarawak will be given prominence. However, its main contents from the rest of the country will still remain in the main pages, keeping its value as a national-based newspaper intact.

Assistant Finance Minister Datuk Donald Mojuntin, when met at a coffeeshop in Penampang, said the national news content was what made the newspaper stand out compared with other local dailies.

“It’s good to know we can get an early copy of a newspaper that carries more news from around the country,” he said, adding that other  dailies had more pages on news in Sabah but not as much about what was happening in other states around the country.
Meanwhile, Frederick Mosom of the state Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry who bought his copy from a vendor at the Donggongon market was surprised to see the newspaper early.

Mosom said its arrival was good as he would normally have to wait at least by noon to get a copy of the paper, or later, sometimes the following day.

Dance teacher John Wong, 70, who would normally get his copy in the afternoon from a vendor, said it was a pleasant surprise to get it early.
“When I saw it this morning, I thought it must have come on an early flight,” said Wong, when met at the popular Gaya Street Fair here.
Suhaila Thien, 27, said having NST here was a positive move as it brought something different to readers.

“In Sabah, we have many established local newspapers that publish similar news content. At least with the availability of a national newspaper, the locals can now read news about other states as well.”

For Brian Koh, 27, the Sabah edition of the NST will definitely be  beneficial as he has  never read the paper before.
Koh agreed that easy access to national news would provide more variety to the locals.
However, he hoped that more Sabah news would be published in the NST to cater to the locals.

In Kuching, the words used to describe the new Sarawak edition of the NST by local readers were: compact, easy to read and bang for the buck.

Businesswoman Christina Lawan, 46, said the paper was worth buying as it provided compact and interesting choices of news.
“Unlike some of the papers that I normally read, which are full of advertisements and cluttered layouts, I find the NST has a better layout.
“It is attractive and pleasing to the eyes.”

Another local, Zainal Ali, said the NST had more news to offer.
“I am getting what I paid for — news, not advertisements. That’s what I like about the paper.”
The 64-page “seamless” Sarawak edition of the NST hit the streets yesterday offering more state news.