FAREWELL, ZAM MAIDIN, THE ORIGINAL AWANG SELAMAT
The former editor-in-chief, a household name in the journalistic fraternity, started his career as a stringer and rose to become the number one in the newsroom
TAN Sri Zainuddin Maidin, who died on Friday, and teh tarik were just inseparable. Everyone who knew the veteran journalist would have a story to tell about Zam’s love for the national drink. I have mine too.
We were on an assignment to accompany Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on his first visit to South America. We were on a Malaysia Airlines (MAS) chartered flight. The year was 1991 and Dr Mahathir was then the prime minister set on bringing the world to invest in Malaysia.
It was also the first time that MAS had ever flown on a South American route. However, Zam had one problem when flying. He confessed that he couldn’t sleep when he’s flying. He would be awake throughout the flight.
On that flight, he had countless cups of teh tarik to keep him company while the rest of us would doze off. To fight his boredom, Zam would walk the aisle and chat with those he knew.
The trip took us to Chile, Brazil and Argentina. The whole plane was filled with several cabinet ministers and some of the top names in corporate Malaysia. Dr Mahathir would take the captains of industry on such trips to get them to look for business opportunities.
Once we started ground visits as we covered Dr Mahathir’s meetings and press conferences, Zam was restless. Not many people knew why. One evening he confessed that he was missing his daily dose of teh tarik! I missed mine too!
And thus began our hunt for full condensed milk, a key ingredient in making the life-giving inspiring concoction. I finally located a sundry shop selling condensed milk. With the help of the hotel staff where we were staying, I managed to get into the kitchen and made teh tarik for Zam and myself. Life returned to normal after that.
In the journalistic fraternity, Zam was already a household name. He was the editor-in-chief of the Utusan Group. This was a man who started his career as a journalist by being a stringer, a term used in the newsroom to describe a part-time reporter.
A stringer will get paid for work done. If there’s no article from the person, then there’s no income. He started in 1951 and later rose to become the group’s numero uno in the newsroom. Not a small achievement by any standard.
Many years after his retirement, Zam ventured into the food and beverage business. He opened a small café called Newsroom in Putrajaya, which was not far from his house. His café offered nasi lemak, kueh Melayu, poached eggs and the inevitable teh tarik.
Many friends would drop by for tea. His café was full of reminders of his love and passion for the profession he so loved. There were pictures of him at work and
Zam was a graduate of the hard-knocks school of journalism. He gained experience and knowledge by sheer tenacity and dedication. He learned the hard way.