I don't know whether to feel excited, happy or sad. My last day with The Malay Mail is Aug 5 and it is not easy to say goodbye to a family whom I have been with for 20 years.
But it is a painful decision that I had to make, all for the sake of another set of family of 17 years.
I flirted with The Malay Mail since I left school as I flipped the pages everytime I visited my brothers and sisters in Kuala Lumpur.
The flirtation became serious as I took up the post of a proof reader in 1981. I was supposed to proof read Berita Harian, but ended up proof reading NST and sometimes MM before leaving for the (so-called) greener pasture about three years later.
I used to envy the two MM greats, Nadeswaran and Frankie. They were my idols and still are.
But the grass is never greener on the other side. It was a mirage and I longed to return to Balai Berita.
It was not easy. But I kept calling PC Shivadas, to see if there was an opening for me.
It was in 1988 when Shivadas finally relented but only as a stringer in Malacca. I must be one of the most hardworking stringers NST had ever had. Working 29 days a month with only a day off, I was told I was the richest stringer, thanks to generous editors.
I was officially the NST stringer but quietly, I wrote to MM and my articles had never been rejected. All of them were published.
In 1989, upon prodding by the then Malacca staff correspondent, Khairuddin Hassan, I applied to enter the Pets training and yes, I was accepted.
In my trusty old Ford Escort, I began life as a trainee under the watchful eyes of Rattan Singh and Mary Chandrapillai.
It was the most memorable time of my life, as we drank and be merry every night, even if it was only on a RM300 allowance. Coupons were provided for lunch at the canteen, previously run by Koop.
We were never short of sponsors as we visited the Press Club almost every night. Nizam, Mimi, Umairah, Megan, just to name a few became my drinking buddies.
But when the result was finally announced, Mimi and Umairah did not make it. Mimi returned later as a stringer before being absorbed as staff while Umairah decided to work in her hometown Kulim.
Saved for a week stint in NST, I have always been with MM. I have worked under five News Editors. They are the late Nayagam, Frankie D Cruz, Bala, Boon Siew and Yushaimi before becoming one myself.
Life was never easy in MM. Working odd hours is normal and going home at 5 or 6 was something strange.
But winning the Journalist of the Year award for the Abdullah Ang saga was the peak of my career. I remember not going to sleep that night, wandering around the office waiting for CH Loh to fetch me at 5am.
You see, Nizam was my housemate and he was with the Star. If I had gone home, I was worried I would leak the secret. Not even my colleagues knew what we were doing.
And when CH Loh was clicking away when we spotted Abdullah ang emerging from his car and walking into his office in Jalan Ipoh, I knew we had a great story. I did not go home but waited for Nayagam to come in. I could still feel the heat as he slapped my back for a job well done. And two hours later, I was on stage to receive my Pets certificate from the then GE Abdul Kadir Jasin. I got sixth or seventh placing but I could hear the loud cheers from my friends.
That night, after a quick bath, Nayagam, Loh and I were at a pub bragging about the story with Nayagam cautioning me that the story might NOT make it to print due to its sensitivity.
But it was on the front-page of the Malay Mail that day and I knew my stint my the Paper That Cares was going to be long.
I was also cited at a rotary club function several days later and the congratulations I received was endless, including from strangers. But there were also several calls giving me subtle warnings to be careful as I "had thrown sand into the rice pots of many people."
Later, when Bala took over as News Editor, Yushaimi was my sidekick. He is now Editor of the oldest newspaper in the country.
Look out for Part II soon
