P. Ramlee’s son not forgotten
Sazali, made famous in the song Anakku Sazali, is thankful the industry remembers him.
PETALING JAYA: His father was a legend in the film and music industry but Sazali Ramlee, who has never been in the limelight, is thankful that the industry remembers him in his time of need.
“I am thankful to the Government for helping me and looking after the welfare of those in the industry,” said the wheelchair-bound Sazali, whose name was immortalised in Anakku Sazali – a song and film made famous by his late father Tan Sri P. Ramlee.
Sazali, 53, was speaking at a press conference in conjunction with the Barisan Nasional Youth Music Festival here yesterday.
He had earlier received RM10,000 from the Artistes Welfare Fund under the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry, following an accident last November that resulted in him tearing a knee ligament.
Sazali, who works as a contractor in Semenyih, said: “Most of the time I have to depend on the wheelchair to move around.
“I can no longer work due to my condition,” said the former employee of Alam Flora Sdn Bhd.
He lost his job of 13 years after the company halted its waste management operations in Selangor.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Artistes Association (Seniman) deputy president Zed Zaidi submitted a memorandum to Deputy Information, Communications and Culture Minis-ter Datuk Maglin Dennis D’cruz, urging the ministry to come up with a separate safety accident insurance for artistes.
“It is crucial for Seniman members to have their own insurance to ensure that they can weather any injury or illness,” he said.
Maglin said he would look into the proposal.
“We welcome such a positive idea,” he said, adding that the matter would be brought before the Cabinet next week after discussions with minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.
“We have the funds but we need to work out the details,” Maglin said.
The two-day event, which was aimed at discovering fresh talents among youths, offered a grand prize of RM30,000 and a recording contract with Universal Music Malaysia.
Guests were entertained by Zed and a string of local artistes and TV personalities, such as Radhi OAG, Nasha Aziz and Brenda Aruna Lundo Jumin.
In conjunction with the event, the organisers set up booths for voter registration, education scholarships as well as information on the recently-launched 1Malaysia TV and Seniman.