Zam expects blog readership to rise

Utusan Malaysia must have issued an official memo prohibiting their journalists from approaching Zainuddin and soliciting comments on anything.

KUALA LUMPUR: There was an interesting development recently when an RTM officer approached him and sought his assistance in preparing a script for a programme in memory of Second Prime Minister Abdul Razak, father of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, said a former Information Minister in his latest blog posting. “I was interviewed for more than an hour, but my comments was carried only for seconds, compared with the mercenary leaders.”

At the same time, said Zainuddin Maidin who was one time Editor-in-Chief of Utusan Malaysia, a journalist from his old paper telephoned him for a comment on the proposed amendments to the Official Secrets Act (OSA) to provide for heavier penalties for journalists party to leaking state secrets. “He was following a comment piece in Sinar Harian , trying to show itself as independent although its hands are tied.”

“The Utusan journalist didn’t want to quote Sinar Harian.”

Zainuddin said he tried to persuade the journalist against interviewing him, knowing that Utusan “would not carry anything that he had to say”. “I gave in after so many appeals but, as expected, Utusan did not carry my remarks.”

“The editor must have issued an official memo prohibiting his journalists from approaching me and soliciting comments on anything. It was a waste of time for me and the journalist.”

Zainuddin confessed that after Attorney-General Mohd Apandi Ali cleared Najib of wrongdoing on three charges recommended by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) he had become fed up of writing.

“The problem is that if I don’t update my blog, people would approach me, whether at a teh tarik stall or mamak restaurant, and ask me why. They would say ‘teruskan perjuangan’ (continue the struggle).”

The former Minister and newsman said that he would invariably ask these people, “What struggle? “I tell them that whatever I have to say would not have any impact. Who am I anyway?”

They would refer to his background as Information Minister. “I can’t help laughing out aloud over such remarks. There are so many others who are not heeded at all, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, sacked Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and former Wanita Umno Chief Rafidah Aziz.”

“Kedah Menteri Besar Ahmad Bashah even considers Rafidah as a person with no experience. So, where do I stand in all this?”

Zainuddin disclosed that the people who approached him in public were not only not afraid to do so, knowing that he was a critic, but they were not all ordinary people. “They included professionals, top businessmen and high-ranking civil servants.”

Their theme was constant, he said, on the lack of confidence in the country and worries for the future. “Everyone agrees that never before has there been a time when there was a leadership vacuum in the country as now. This is the voice of the silent majority, brave, honest and rational.”

The staff of a corporate body, he continued, had their pictures taken with him at Restaurant Nasi Kandar Kudu along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. “They knew that I was no longer a Minister, but an ordinary citizen, writing in my blog to fill my time.”

In fact, conceded Zam, the blog has made him more popular than ever compared with the time when he was a Minister. “My blog has had three million visitors so far. It’s not a number to brag about compared with the page views and hits generated by other blogs or online news portals.”

“Experienced journalists can spot fakes from a long way off. They can get a whiff of the pollution of corruption.”

Zainuddin expects his readership to keep climbing especially since he was no longer welcome at Utusan Malaysia. “They no longer carry my comments and my writing. In fact, the attitude there is, ‘Zam? Who is he?'”