‘We’ve lost a shining star in the constellation of our profession’

the coffee tables had newspaper pages as table tops. He also had a small office for him to do some writing or contemplate.

Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar, who took over from Zam as Utusan’s editor-in-chief, has this to say about his friend and teh tarik buddy. One thing you must recognise is the comradeship of Utusan journalists, past and present. For most of the 52 Sundays in the year, some of them would gather at a mamak stall at Jalan Masjid India for breakfast, where they would analyse the goings-on in the country and elsewhere. This has been a tradition for years.

Johan said: “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. He endured criticisms and condemnation for his views and the positions he chose to take.

“He soldiered on. He fought his battles against religious extremism, chauvinism and narrowminded views — leaving no prisoners in his wake.

“He’s the most opinionated journalist I’ve ever known. And he’s relentless in his pursuit of journalistic excellence. We’ve lost a shining star in the constellation of our profession.

Baharom Matusin, another of Zam’s long line of proteges, described Zam as a firm leader but a softie at heart. I met him at Zam’s house early yesterday morning. Baharom said Zam had given specific instructions to him to make sure that his books are donated to the Islamic University in Putrajaya.

Zam’s love for teh tarik was well known. “Zam would go through traffic jams to go to Masjid India for his teh tarik fix,” said Baharom.

The story is also told of Zam’s fierce sessions during the evening editorial meetings where the page one story is picked. He would rant and rave if the stories were incomplete or not good enough. Usually, one staff member would excuse himself on the pretext of answering the call of nature. Instead, he would whisper to Zam’s secretary and then rejoin the meeting. Soon after, Zam’s secretary would enter the room informing her boss that his “cucu” (grandchild) wanted to speak on the phone. Zam’s ranting would stop automatically and life returned to normal.

Farewell, my dear friend. You were one of the old school journalists who took down notes using the Jawi script, if I recall correctly. You will be forever remembered. May you be grouped among the righteous.

Al-Fatehah.