12
speak up!
The ‘fear’ and ‘hate’
factors of being a scribe
THIS column is
guided by princi-
ples that it would
not touch race, reli-
gion or politics and
neither would it be
used for personal
agendas. Once, in
the past six years,
an exception was
made. Although to-
day’s column may CitizenNades they always stumble
not have breached
these principles, by R. Nadeswaran
some would view it
differently. Hence, this caveat at
the very start.
In April last year, the editor
of ADOI magazine Hamandar
Singh posed this question: “Mr
Expose, many people in power
fear you. What do you have to
say to that?”
It didn’t take me long to an-
swer, but this is how my reply
appeared in print:
“I don’t deserve that title
and I don’t think everyone fears
me. Yes, I have overheard one
developer say that ‘I need Nades
around like a bullet in my
head’, but by and large, there is
no fear, no shame, nothing. Did
Zakaria Mat Deros (God bless
his soul) fear me after I exposed
him? No! He just defied logic,
aided and abetted by his party
leaders who described him as
a ‘good leader and we need his
services.’ So, for this man, it was
business as usual because if he
has the backing of the top brass,
why should he worry, especially,
a journalist? Look at the Selan-
gor state secretary. When I said
that building on road reserve is
against the law, he was asked by
the chief secretary to the govern-
ment to answer. But he did not.
Do you know why? Someone
told him: ‘The chief secretary
may be your boss, but you re-
port to me and not to
him!’ There are some
who are petrified on
hearing my name.
The only consolation
I can take is that
their conscience is
pricking them. Even
some good friends
have been caught in
such a situation and
to defend themselves.
However, the fearless
outnumber the fear-
ful.”
Three weeks ago, I asked
my former editor-in-chief Ho
Kay Tat to pen the foreword to
my forthcoming book: PKFZ:
Some Untold Stories. He con-
cluded thus: “Journalists like
Citizen Nades are hated by some
people. But society can only be
better off and the public interest
better served, if we had more
like him.”
No statistics are available on
the percentage of people who
loathe what I do, because inves-
tigative journalism causes one
to step on a lot of toes – most of
them belonging to the wealthy
and influential who believe they
are untouchable. Sometimes,
as I put pen to paper, I am re-
minded of the responsibility to
this newspaper and 210 of my
colleagues. I was a journalist
in the NST when The Star was
suspended in 1987 during Op-
eration Lalang and knew how
my fellow journalists suffered
on getting by on a quarter of
what they used to earn. In 2001,
I was given a hazardous duty
– to serve letters of termination
to scores of my colleagues and
friends when this newspaper
downsized and changed its
business module. To be honest,
I wouldn’t want anyone to be
in my shoes. I did it with tears
bursting in my eyes, having to
tell friends that their services
were no longer needed.
The “fear factor” and “hate
factor” are always there. While
it is easy to dismiss the latter by
saying that this writer is not on
a popularity contest, the former
has to be taken seriously and
it is not meant to be confined
to something physical. More
importantly, it is not just about
being subservient to outside
forces, but to take cognizance
of the repercussions of inves-
tigative reporting. While some
of my colleagues may be able
to find jobs elsewhere, the
majority who have mortgages,
housing loans and schoolgoing
children, don’t. “Where will
they go if they are out of a job?”
is the constant question that
nags your conscience.
Last year’s downturn
produced some heart-rending
stories and several TV stations
showcased a few people who
managed to keep their heads
above water. But the majority,
some of whom took their lives,
is a reminder that one rash act
by an individual can ruin the
lives of many others.
It was with these facts in
mind that I ventured to write
and publish my book without
having to worry about impli-
cating third parties. Caution
was not exactly thrown to the
wind, but taking individual
responsibility gave me a sort
of freedom without having to
constantly ask yourself: “What
if…?”
It dawned on me that if
anything went wrong, I should
take the rap without drawing
in the newspaper, the manage-
ment or my colleagues.
The new-found “freedom”,
Pensioners deserve better
I WOULD like to suggest that
in the forthcoming budget
the government give serious
consideration and attention to
pensioners getting less than
RM500 a month.
Most if not all pensioners
in this category are struggling
to make ends meet. There are
even pensioners drawing less
that RM300 a month.
Our income has not in-
creased but the cost of living is
skyrocketing. If the government
Website errors corrected
THE Railway Department
wishes to refer to “Govt web-
sites must get it right” (Letters,
Sept 17).
First of all we would like
to thank Richard for pointing
out the mistake. We as the
governing body of all the
railway systems in Malaysia
took Richard’s complaint as
constructive advice and recti-
fied the mistake on Sept 23.
The department wishes to
continue to serve the country
without any decline in public
service performance.
letters
letters@thesundaily.com
so to speak, provided an op-
portunity to reproduce some
important documents. Extracts
from these were used sparingly
in the past, because of space
constraints in a newspaper but
the full potency of the docu-
ments only appear when read
in totality.
In the same ADOI interview,
Hamandar asked: What is the
downside to being Citizen
Nades?
My reply: I don’t have pri-
vacy. People walk up to me in
unlikely places and it makes it
difficult to work under cover.
I have to pose for photographs
and sign autographs! That’s a
paradox because I’m supposed
to be an investigative journalist.
You also get bashed in cyber-
space by those who hide behind
pseudonyms. I have no problems
when they criticize what I write
but some of them get personal,
very personal.
I am constantly reminded
that this writer, Citizen-Nades,
the journalist cannot be R.
Nadeswaran, the private per-
son. However, hard you try, my
colleagues tell me, you will re-
main Citizen-Nades. Whatever
you do as a private person, is
reflected in your professional
capacity. In the course of work-
ing on my book, I became an
individual whose thoughts and
views are articulated in the
same manner as the journalist.
The task was difficult, but the
consolation is that I made a
valiant attempt. Could I get an
“A” for effort?
R. Nadeswaran is editor (special
and investigating reporting) at
theSun. He can be reached at:
citizen-nades@thesundaily.com
» See also page 19
is willing to consider giving
Indonesian maids a better deal
from what they are getting now
surely government pensioners
who have spent a lifetime con-
tributing to the public sector
deserve a fair deal too.
The concept of 1Malaysia
must ensure that government
pensioners do not live below
the poverty line.
Abdullah Ahmad
Penang
In doing so, we will continue
our services with high stand-
ards. Advice from the public is
always welcome.
The department will contin-
ue devising and implementing
new methods to ensure that
the public will get the best
service in line with the slogan
“People first, performance
now”.
Mohd Hamdani Sahari
Director of Management
Services
Railway Department
theSun | WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 14 2009
Safeguard
homemaker’s rights
I REFER to “Mothers play crucial role” (Letters, Oct
12) and agree with the writer that women who want
to have a family could be better off being homemak-
ers, mothers and wives.
The reason why they opt to work outside the
home is, in my opinion, that they prefer to conform
to trends rather than listen to the voice in their heart
and develop their true talent. If married women with
children were full-time housewives, many social
problems would decrease or disappear.
It is unfortunate that there is no group or associa-
tion to lobby for women who want to be full-time
mothers and wives. There are many groups that
promote women’s emancipation, equality with men,
and promotion in the office but none that safeguard
women’s position as mothers, wives, and “queens of
the home”. Talk about equal opportunities!
I don’t think part-time work for married women is
a fair choice. A part-time worker is not an equitable
proposition for the employer. He or she draws the full
salary and benefits but does half the work. Unless of
course the worker is paid by the hour and only for
the hours he or she has worked.
Marisa Demori
Ipoh
Save Klebang
Besar beach
DON’T force residents of Klebang Besar in Malacca
to choose between a theme park and the sea.
Why must a theme park be built on reclaimed
land? I am certain it can be built elsewhere. If the
theme park really needs the sea view since it is
themed after Zheng He, the state government should
build it at least 1km from the beach without destroy-
ing our shoreline?
The fishermen in Ujong Pasir fought hard to keep
their shoreline and managed to keep it (congrats
to them). The state government should have learnt
something from that controversy.
Does the state expect residents in Klebang to sit
quietly and let the barge fill our sea with sand and
turn it into a desert? The government must think of
the rakyat before it decides on anything.
Not all the residents living by the seaside are
millionaires, most of us are fishermen, retirees, and
business operators. But we do have one thing in
common, we love the sea and its bounty.
If Zheng He was still alive, I doubt that he would
choose a theme park over a beach.
Baba
Malacca
Beautify vacant lot
I AM a resident of Taman Ibu Kota, Gombak, since
1968. Lately, Dewan Bandaraya has widened Jalan
Gombak from a single lane road to a four-lane dual
carriageway for which the residents are grateful. It is
now a breeze using the road, traffic flow is smooth
and gone are the congestions and stress.
The contractor involved has vacated the site
office cum store and cleared all the machinery and
construction materials. The site is at the junction of
Jalan Gombak and Jalan Taman Ibu Kota.
Dewan Bandaraya should beautify the site with
plants and trees and possibly a few benches for
shoppers from a nearby shopping plaza. It would be
green and beautiful.
If it doesn’t act quickly some wise guy is likely to
invade the lot and set up a business.
A. Paramanathan
Kuala Lumpur
Fine errant dog-owners
CITY Hall should draw-up stringent guidelines for
dog-owners who must be held responsible for the
behaviour of their pets.
It should draw up and implement a by-law com-
pelling dog-owners to carry plastic bags and spades
to clean-up after their pets have answered the call
of nature. Dog-owners who refuse to do so should
be fined.
James Gonzales
Kuala Lumpur