The day NAM lost its founder...

As diplomats from across Asia, Africa and Latin America begin a two-day meeting in Putrajaya today, host Malaysia urged member countries of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) not to question the continued relevance of the 45 year-old movement. Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the 114-member NAM's relevancy had persistently been questioned, both by NAM members as well its critics, since the end of the Cold War. "There is no doubt in my mind about the continued, indeed increased relevance, of NAM for a number of reasons," he said when opening the Preparatory Meeting of Senior Officials for the Ministerial Meeting of the NAM Coordinating Bureau (NAM-CoB). It was not the first time for the minister to voice the concern . Ironically, it was on this day that NAM lost one of its founding fathers with the death of India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964. He died of a heart attack at the age of 74. As India’s first prime minister since it achieved independence from Britain in 1947, Nehru refused to align the country to either Soviet Union or United States in the Cold War. Representing the interests of developing countries, NAM has its origin in the Asia-Africa Conference held in Bandung, Indonesia in 1955. The meeting brought together leaders of 29 states, mostly former colonies, from the two continents of Africa and Asia, to discuss common concerns and to develop joint policies in international relations. Nehru, along with Indonesian President Sukarno and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, led the conference. At the meeting Third World leaders shared their similar problems of resisting the pressures of the major powers, maintaining their independence and opposing colonialism and neo-colonialism, especially western domination.

Catering to the needs of pressmen....

Cutting the white-and-purple ribbon, Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar opened the International Media Centre for the Non-Aligned Movement Coordinating Bureau (NAM-CoB) Ministerial Meeting at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) Friday. The centre is ready to cater to the needs of journalists covering the four-day meeting from May 27 to 30 including those from the non-English speaking countries. More than 100 journalists and photographers from 15 countries have confirmed their presence to cover the event. Apart from Internet-access computer terminals including those in French, Arabic and Chinese, the centre provides Internet ports for journalists using their own laptops and wireless Internet services. The centre was set-up and managed by Bernama, already a 'veteran' in providing such expertise. In major international events and summit, an efficient media centre has become an important component to ensure their success. With such facilities, pressmen would be able to carry out their work with ease while the events get good coverage and the desired impact.

You mean a world...

"To the world you are one person, but to one person you are the world".
I picked this up from the radio last night as it belted out easy listening hits one after another. Soon my mind wandered around and in the ensuing mood, recalled a friend's timely advice. I had asked him whether all the things in the world would still mean anything when the end seemed so near for me. Of course, I had told him about my visit to the clinic and the remarks made by the specialist. Sensing my badly-bruised morale, he tried to cheer me up saying that he was in no better situation himself. In fact, some believed he would have died in 2004 because of his ill-health. But he fought the battle and stood the challenge with whatever strength he had. It was not easy but he had no choice. He had to be strong for he was a gallant man in the eyes of his young children. He means a world to them. I could imagine how traumatic it would have been for the young souls to lose a loved one at such tender age. I lost my mother when I was six. Decades have past and I still yearn for a mother's love. Thank you my friend for those encouraging words. I know I have to be strong to face the world because in my children worldly eyes, their papa is their world.

'Walking time-bomb'

I am no suicide bomber. Neither do I aspire to be one. But when the doctor told me today that I am a walking time-bomb, I really had a lot of thinking to do. Perhaps it is more than just thinking but to do something. That something must be carried out fast lest it'll be disaster. Although I had anticipated my blood pressure to be on the higher side, I did not imagine that it would rose to 200/120. Even the specialist doctor was particularly concerned. "You are a walking time-bomb," she told me. The last time I saw her a month ago, the reading was 170/110. Have to admit that of late, I had not been paying much attention to my health. Worse still, I've not been taking the medicine she prescribed for some time. She warned me not to skip the medication as she said it could have been the cause for the higher BP reading. So she prescribed three medicine for me -- Atenolol (100mg), Amlodipine (10mg) and Losartan potassium (50mg) to be taken daily. But she told me to get my BP reading before taking the third pill, an expensive brand! Only if the level remains high, should I take the medicine. No matter how difficult it will be for me to swallow the pill, I will need to keep my will power strong.

Being part of the global community

The Wolfson College 2004-2005 magazine made its way from Cambridge to my home today. Had a pleasant surprise when I turned to page 44 under the title "The Press Fellowship 2002-2005" for there was a mug-shot of me alongside the photo of my fellow mate Farai of Zimbabwe. My thoughts were immediately taken back to the time when we were on the programme during the Michaelmas Term 2004. I couldn't agree more with what programme director John Naughton wrote: "What makes the Press Fellowship distinctive is that it is not a course, but a way of giving busy journalists the time and space in which to do some serious thinking, away from the pressures of their professional lives." In the course of my 'research' on 'The British Media Reporting of Islam', I had the chance to read various British newspapers and meet or communicate with a number of personalities, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. I truly value the experience as it has made me a better person and helped me in the course of my work, just like the time when I organised the visit of the Indian journalists to Malaysia or the UNESCO-approved workshop for journalists from Arabic-speaking countries. I am looking forward to even more challenging tasks in discharging my duties as being part of the global community. In this regard, it is heartening to note of John's writing that the Press Fellowship is 24 years old this year and will soon be welcoming its 300th fellow. (I suppose it has done so by now). As he rightly pointed out: "The map of the world on which we record the countries from which Press Fellows come now has pins in 44 countries - a new (and we hope benign) 'empire' on which the sun never sets."

Bernama opens Beijing bureau

Bernama, the Malaysian national news agency, has opened a bureau in Beijing as part of its international expansion programme. With the announcement today, Beijing adds up to existing Bernama bureaus in Singapore, Jakarta and Bangkok. After Beijing, Bernama plans to open offices in Dubai and New Delhi. The agency also has stringers in Melbourne, Washington, London, Bonn and Colombo. Bernama has 500 staff and provides news and information in Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin and Arabic to newspaper, news agency, magazine and other subscribers. It also produces television news bulletins.
While the news was greeted with much enthusiasm, the agency mourned the death of a former editor, Louis Donald Baptist, 57. He died after he collapsed while shopping with his wife in a supermarket. Baptist was one of the early recruits into Bernama, joining the news agency in April 1969 after stints with the Penang Straits Echo and Eastern Sun. He made his name as a court reporter and served as the Bernama correspondent in Bangkok before rising to become editor of the English sub-editors desk. He resigned from Bernama in 1997 to join a daily as a copy editor before returning to the agency in 2003 to work as a copy sub-editor on the foreign desk until last year when he retired.

Between a wise man and a fool...

Many a time when confronted with an issue, there's bound to be pros and cons. In a world which considers freedom of expression a crucial element of human right, it is hardly unusual for mortal souls to have their own say in matters concerning their interest. Whether it's right or wrong, good or bad, the important thing is to learn how to agree to disagree. Or is it disagree to agree? For the press, comments from the public, leaders and those with vested interest are often sought whenever an issue arises. More often than not, many unwarranted statements creep into the picture from publicity-seeking personalities. They often wear many hats, giving them all-round advantage to pounce and capitalize on any issue. It is often during such situation that a person could be judged of either being a wise man or a fool. Why? A wise man speaks because he has something to say, a fool speaks because he has to say something.

Arab journalists endorse journalism centre proposal

Twenty-two journalists from Arabic-speaking countries concluded their week-long familiarisation programme in Kuala Lumpur today with a strong endorsement of the idea to establish an international Islamic journalism centre. They hoped the centre, proposed by Malaysian Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin in his speech at the opening of the workshop on Tuesday May 2, could be formed soon.
Apart from getting Muslim journalists to discuss common issues, the minister had said the centre could organise programmes for non-Muslim journalists to know more about Islam.

In a five-point declaration, the journalists from 17 countries lauded the initiative to hold the workshop as a step to improve the friendly relations between the Ummah from the Arab world and Southeast Asia.
They also gave their support to the NAM News Network (NNN) by pledging to get their news agencies to send their news to it.The participants, including seven women, suggested that the workshop be continued in the future as a training opportunity for journalists.

Linking press freedom to poverty eradication...

The Bernama-run workshop for journalists from Arabic-speaking countries enters its second day today as World Press Freedom Day 2006 is celebrated across the globe. Some 300 participants attending an international conference on Media, Development and Poverty Eradication in Sri Lanka adopted the Colombo Declaration calling for freedom of the press to be recognized as a core element in development strategies. The Declaration recognizes the important role of press freedom in the fight against all forms of poverty and exclusion. "This year, World Press Freedom Day is dedicated to the consideration of how protecting and furthering the fundamental human rights of freedom of expression and press freedom can assist in assuring another human right – the right to be free from poverty,” says UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura. Following the two-day conference which ended on the eve of World Press Freedom Day, Matsuura presented the 2006 UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to Lebanese journalist May Chidiac. The award which carries US$25,000 prize money was created in memory of the Colombian journalist Guillermo Cano, assassinated in 1987 for exposing the work of drug barons. Chidiac, a popular television news journalist, lost her left hand and foot in a car bomb attack on 25 September 2005. While praising Chidiac’s “courage and professionalism”, Matsuura recalled that 2005 was a very bad year as far as violence against the media was concerned. Quoting statistics from the International Federation of Journalists, he said 150 media professionals were killed in the line of duty last year and more than 500 media professionals had been detained or imprisoned. Next year’s main World Press Freedom Day celebration will be held in Colombia. The celebration was first proposed by participants at the Seminar on Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press, which UNESCO organized in Windhoek, Namibia, in 1991.

Bracing for a highly-anticipated gathering

After weeks of nerve-wrecking efforts in getting their participation, some 25 journalists from Arabic-speaking countries were finally registered for a week-long familiarisation trip to Malaysia starting May 1. They will attend the workshop jointly organised by BERNAMA and UNESCO with the strong support of the Malaysian Information Ministry. Its main objective is to seek a common ground in their approach to covering events and issues concerning Islam. From email exchanges with them, many were eager to visit Malaysia. Yemeni Yahya Arhab, for instance, said he was looking forward to attend the workshop to enhance his reporting knowledge and establish new contacts. Making his first overseas trip, Arhab said he had heard much about
Malaysia, describing it as "the most beautiful country in Asia".
Egyptian journalist Hayam Hammam said she too was looking forward to the programme to know more about Malaysia."It is really my dream to visit Malaysia, such fascinating country which I heard a lot about it and about its people," she said in her email message.
Apart from Yemen and Egypt, the other participants were expected from Algeria, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Sudan, Iraq and Turkey.

Al-Fatihah Tun Ghafar ....

Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghafar Baba, died at the Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur this morning due to heart, lung and kidney complications. He was 81. His family members were at his bedside when he breathed last at 7.34am. His simple and sincere ways would always be fondly remembered. Although being in the corridor of power, Ghafar had always remained true to his roots. He refused any sort of honorific, prefering to remain plain Encik Ghafar for most part of his life. It was only after he retired from office that he was persuaded to accept the Tunship. From being the Chief Minister of Melaka from June 1959 to August 1967, he became a Cabinet minister from 1969 to 1976. He was the Deputy Prime Minister from May 7, 1986 to Oct.15, 1993, the year he resigned as Umno deputy president. I was fortunate to be assigned to cover Ghafar in his various capacity either in the government or the party. But one moment which remains vivid in my mind was the time when he faced the challenge for the post of Umno deputy president. Disappointed with the turn of events, Ghafar decided to seek solace abroad. When he came back a few days later, we tried to corner him at the old international airport in Subang but he refused to meet the press. We trailed him to his house in Bukit Pantai but still could not get to see him. We patiently waited outside his gate. An hour passed and then two yet there was no sign of him wanting to talk to us. In our long wait, I remember someone brought out cold drink for us weary reporters to quench our thirst. As it was getting dark, we finally decided to call it a day. But before we left, I had to give another try. I flipped open an empty page of my Bernama notebook and wrote: "Kepada Y.A.B. Encik Ghafar, Selamat kembali ke tanahair. Kami berdoa Y.A.B. berada dalam keadaan sihat walafiat. Terima kasih kerana sudi memberikan kami minuman. Semoga kita dapat bertemu di lain ketika yang lebih sesuai. Terima kasih daripada para wartawan". After writing the note, I tore the page and gave it to the police guard. We requested him to take it to Ghafar. He obliged and we waited with whatever hope we had. After 10 minutes or so, it was still in vain and we knew we had to go. But just as we were walking to our car, the policeman came running out of the house and told us that Ghafar wanted to see us. Of course, we got our story which was well worth waiting for.

Welcoming journalists from Arabic-speaking countries

In less than a month, a workshop-cum-familiarisation programme for journalists from Arabic-speaking countries is scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur. Organised by Bernama, the Information Ministry has agreed to provide financial support for the Unesco programme. We are targetting journalists from 17 Arabic countries which are linked to Bernama's Arabic News Service. The workshop would enable participants to get a closer look of Malaysia, its people, culture, attractions and way of life. This is the first time for Bernama to organise a workshop for journalists from the Middle East and North African region. We had conducted a similar programme in 2003 for journalists from the African countries to promote the Smart News Network International (SNNi), created under the initiative of the Langkawi International Dialogue.

A lonely birthday if not for ....

Life can be awfully lonely. Even on the day when one should be rejoicing on his birthday, loved ones could sometimes 'forget' to say 'Happy Birthday'. What's the big deal, you may say. Afterall, birthday means another year is subtracted from your remaining living years. But they don't call it a special day for nothing. At least, I had a pleasant surprise when my handphone beeped with an incoming message just after noon. The message in Malay read "HAPPY BIRTHDAY. panjang umur murahkan rezeki kuatkan iman - kakak 27/3". Immediately, I thought it had come from my daughter but it was not. So, there could only be someone else who knew of my birthday. And that someone would surely not be bothered to remember about it if not for a special reason. Instantaneously I could think of one person, a senior in school who shared my birthday. I contacted the number and yes it was her. We have not spoken for years despite having the common bond. So it was a truly wonderful birthday after all. Thanks to the SMS, although in unspoken words, my depressed spirit was gone. I had reason to smile and be happy. That's what FRANCE is all about -- Friendship Remains And Never Can End.

What happened...

All of a sudden, I realised that I have not posted anything on my blog since the start of the year. What happened? It's a million ringgit question that would surely need a million ringgit more to answer. I guess it's just plain lazy. Or is it another case of broken promises. Yes, I did promise to update my blog regularly. I had pledged to keep on writing, come what may. After all, I've gone through many memorable moments over the last few months. Could it be because of these hectic times that I had just simply ignored my blog. I am now reminded of something I heard years ago: Promises are like babies, they are fun to make but hard to deliver. Fun? I don't know.

Malaysia's proposed news exchange mechanism gets NAM backing

The news exchange mechanism for non-aligned countries, a Bernama brainchild which eventually became a Malaysian project, has finally received the support of the 114-member Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Senior officials preparing the agenda for the Sixth Conference of Ministers of Information Non-Aligned Countries (Cominac) VI have endorsed the proposed NAM News Network (NNN). Information Ministry Secretary General Siti Balkish Mohamed Shariff said a workshop would be organised within the next three months to enable interested NAM members to discuss ways to establish a practical and workable mechanism for the NNN. The proposed internet-based portal is aimed at presenting news on NAM countries from their own perspective for them and the world. Bernama, has been entrusted with the project, given its experience in handling similar initiatives. NNN would replace the inactive Non-Aligned News Agencies Pool (NANAP)

Amman recovers from unprecendented bombings...

It was obvious to feel apprehensive about going to Amman especially after three of the city's hotels had just been hit by suicide bombers last Wednesday. I was supposed to fly to Amman on Friday to attend the News Agencies World Council meeting and was not sure if the gathering would proceed in the wake of the unprecendented bombings. A few phone calls to Amman finally made me decide to go on the trip after having been assured that the situation was not as bad as had been thought.
Indeed I found that the city going through its normal business although security at hotels were stepped up. The authorities had announced several arrests following the attacks which were blamed on the Al Qaeda in Iraq led by Abu Musab Al Zarqawi.
I had a pleasant surprise when during a tour to the Citadel, I overheard three women speaking in bahasa Malaysia. As it turned out, they were from Malaysia and working in Abu Dhabi as nurses. No, the bombings did not stop them from continuing with their visit programme to Jordan. The chanced meeting inspired me to file a report .

Three long years...

On this significant day, I am reminded of the time when my group of boisterous post-graduate mates first met for the Strategic Communication (stracomm) class. Despite meeting the professor for the first time, we had lots to talk about. A number of ideas were floated on the communication projects that we would undertake for the whole semester. One that gained all-round immediate support was to start a Yahoo internet group called Stracomm. It would be the channel for us to communicate in between our once-a-week classes, discuss assignments and projects, bla, bla, bla. But just like most blogs, such internet group channel slowly waned out over the years and die a natural death. I hate to let it go and wrote the following note in the hope of getting the desired response.

"Dear Cefu and friends,
Three long solid years have passed since we started stracomm. Wouldn't it be fun if we had a time machine then to enable us to look into the future? We could have observed then how we eventually went our separate paths. Many have reached better ground, been rewarded and heading for a brighter future. Some may still be on the way forward while some could still be struggling on the long, painful journey in life.
Whatever it is, here's wishing everyone a Selamat Hari Raya. Maaf Zahir dan Batin. I'm only human yang tak sunyi daripada kesilapan.
Shah, sorry for all the 'teh tarik' promises which never really turn out. I know for sure, though, that the next time you're enjoying your 'teh tarik', you will look back with a smile at the time when we had our Raya celebration at UPM. No, I'm not reminding you about the satay but the good times we had as post-graduate students. I still have the CD recorded by Ismadi for memories sake.
To Cefu, wherever you are, all the best. I hope you have found your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
To all, take care and I'll always cherish the UPM days.

Fondest regards,
azz"

Cementing regional news cooperation...

Here I am at Hanoi international airport waiting for the flight home to Kuala Lumpur. This bustling Vietnamese capital has been my address for the last three days to attend the executive board meeting of the Organization of Asia Pacific News Agencies (OANA).
Bernama is the current chairman of the 37-member entity, formed in 1961 to seek equal opportunity in international news flow. With an active, internet-based newswire in place, member agencies post stories of happenings in their countries to tell the world through their own perspectives.

Despite the lively participation, the meeting felt more could be done to make the newswire an effective channel of a truly multilateral news exchange mechanism. Some wondered what action could be taken against non-active members while others called for recognition of those who contributed regularly.
The OANA newswire is really a channel for news agencies in the region to let the world know about their countries through their own eyes, thus reducing the dependence on reports filed by Western media agencies.

Getting the message across, no matter what....

A senior Cabinet minister was apparently so upset with Bernama that he threatened to boycott the national news agency. He summoned one of his senior officials to 'pass the message' to Bernama.It was found out later that his bone of contention was that Bernama had interviewed his political rival and wrote quite a 'lengthy' story. The minister may have his reason to be angry with Bernama but this will not stop the news agency from carrying out its responsibility of reporting for the people, about the people as well as by the people.

Remembering September 11.....

As Americans and the world remember the terrorists attacks of Sept 11, 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush vowed that Americans will overcome the ordeal presented by Hurricane Katrina which has left scenes of destruction in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast. Bush used his weekly radio address to remember the fourth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, saying Americans were pulling together to help Katrina victims just as they did the victims of the hijacked-plane attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC)and the Pentagon. "Today, America is confronting another disaster that has caused destruction and loss of life. This time the devastation resulted not from the malice of evil men, but from the fury of water and wind," Bush said. Hurricane Katarina will go down as the largest natural disaster in American history.
For the record, three Malaysians were among those killed in the Sept 11 attacks, four years ago. Twenty-three year old Vijayashanker Paramsothy, a financial analyst, and about 200 others were waiting for lifts to the ground floor when United Airlines Flight 175 ripped into the 78th floor of the WTC's South Tower at 9.03am. The plane that chrashed into the South Tower came 16 1/2 minutes after American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston slammed into the North Tower at 8.46am. The South Tower collapsed first at 9.59am before the North Tower came down at 10.28am. Two other Malaysians, both women, killed in the attacks were Ang Siew Nya, 37, a technical analyst with Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc and Khoo Sei Lai, 38, an executive vice-president and portfolio manager at Fred Alger Management.