Just learned that Said Zahari has passed away. Said was a journalist and led the fight for press freedom in Singapore before he was detained under the ISA in 1963. He remained imprisoned for 17 years.
I met Said on a couple of occasions. He was every bit the erudite gentlemen that people said he was, never the dangerous communist the PAP said he was.
My condolences to the family.
Source: Chee Soon Juan
His family lost almost everything after his flat was destroyed in a fire. Yet, Mr Mohd Rafi Basiran still feels blessed.
Dozens of his neighbours have rallied to help his family get back on their feet.
From cooking for them to helping to clear the debris, the residents around Block 110, Pasir Ris Drive 1, have shown what kampung spirit is all about.
At about 9pm on March 27, a fire that started in Mr Rafi’s master bedroom ripped through the rest of his four-room flat on the eighth storey of Block 110.
Only some clothes, furniture and cupboards could be salvaged and have been temporarily stored in a room at the residents’ committee (RC) office.
Mr Rafi, a manager at Changi Airport, told The New Paper earlier this week: “I will now think twice about selling my flat or moving out of this estate. My neighbours extended their help without my asking.
“Money cannot buy this type of ‘kampung’ spirit.”
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, said Mr Rafi, 49, who has lived there with his wife, also 49, daughter, 22, and son, 18, since 2008.
No one was home when the fire broke out. But the blaze killed seven of Mr Rafi’s 10 birds.
He said his biggest regret was not buying fire insurance.
The day after the fire, about 30 neighbours from nearby blocks helped the family to clear debris from the blackened flat.
For seven days, the volunteers worked tirelessly from 9am to about 7pm, sweeping the floors, folding clothes, collecting hangers and chipping away small damaged tiles. Even their children helped out.
Stripping the walls and floors of soot was made easier with the use of a borrowed water jet machine, said Mr Abdul Rahman Abu Bakar, a neighbour from an adjacent block.
He took four days’ leave to head the clean-up. The delicate cabinets in Mr Rafi’s kitchen were scrubbed by hand.
Several women cooked dishes like curry, assam pedas and nasi goreng, and placed the food and refreshments on tables at the void deck to ensure the volunteers did not go hungry.
Their efforts made MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC Zainal Sapari proud when he and RC members visited the family. (See report, right.)
Mr Rafi said some irreplaceable items like his school-leaving certificates, birth certificate and NRIC were lost in the fire.
He was also saddened by the loss of personal “treasures” such as photos of himself posing with his late father at their former Simpang Bedok village.
His wife’s watch collection was also destroyed. While inexpensive, they held special meaning for the couple as Mr Rafi had bought them to mark her birthday or their wedding anniversary.
A neighbour, a driver who wanted to be known only as Mr Rahman, said: “It is heartbreaking to remove pieces of memories damaged by the fire. We told Rafi that we could only offer our effort and sweat.”
Several residents used their washing machines to clean the family’s clothes that had been stained with soot.
GOOD NEIGHBOUR
Two neighbours told TNP they had offered help because Mr Rafi is a good neighbour.
One of them, Mr Iskandar Muhammad, 41, an offshore risk inspector, said: “I’m always overseas for work, but I’m thankful he checks on my family and offers them food.
“Whenever he returns from fishing, he will distribute the catch to some residents in the estate.”
Mr Iskandar is looking after Mr Rafi’s Merbah Jambul bird – one of three birds that survived the fire.
Another neighbour has Mr Rafi’s two parrots.
Mr Iskandar’s wife, Madam Mashitah Aman, 39, said the fire could have happened to anybody.
She said: “As neighbours, we can’t leave anybody behind when they’re suffering a calamity. If there’s a lesson for all of us, it’s to check if we have adequate fire insurance.”
After the fire, some residents upgraded their fire insurance policies, she said.
On Monday, the couple set up an online donation drive on generosity.com for Mr Rafi’s family. At 6pm yesterday, only $206 had been raised out of the targeted $40,000.
At 10am today, a garage sale will be held in front of Mr Iskandar’s home at Block 111.
Clothes, jewellery, shoes, kids’ wear and household items will be on sale, with all proceeds going to Mr Rafi’s family.
“As neighbours, we can’t leave anybody behind when they’re suffering a calamity.”
– Madam Mashitah Aman
Blaze put out in less than 10 minutes
A garage sale among Mr Mohd Rafi Basiran’s neighbours to raise money for the family was a good idea, said Mr Zainal Sapari.
The Member of Parliament for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC said a residents’ committee (RC) chairman had alerted him to the garage sale.
He told The New Paper over the phone on Wednesday: “The more we get residents to know each other, the easier it would be for residents to empathise with other residents should such mishaps happen.”
TNP understands that permission had been sought from the town council for the garage sale.
SURPRISED
After visiting Mr Rafi, Mr Zainal said he was surprised that Mr Rafi did not have any fire insurance coverage.
He said: “I tried to get whatever resources within town council means to help him… I told my town council people to deploy some of our outsourced workers if he needs to move things.”
Mr Rafi said workers from the town council helped him remove furniture from his home.
He was also able to borrow a water jet machine.
The town council will also help Mr Rafi with repairs to the exterior of the flat, including the repainting of the burnt walls, Mr Zainal said.
After speaking to HDB, the MP said the family has been temporarily housed in a nearby one-room rental flat.
The RC also allowed Mr Rafi to keep some of his valuables in its office.
Mr Zainal advised Mr Rafi, who is an NTUC member, to apply for a hardship grant.
The one-off grant worth $1,000 is meant to help low-income union members suffering from hardship arising from a chronic medical condition, death, fire or flood, among others.
Unsure about your flat’s fire insurance policy?
It’s best check with your insurer as your policy could have expired.
According to the HDB website, its Fire Insurance Scheme was introduced to help relieve flat owners of the financial burden of repair work when a fire occurs.
The scheme covers the costs of repairing damaged internal structures and fixtures, but not the contents of the flat.
HDB’s appointed insurer, Etiqa Insurance, charges between $1.50 and $7.50 for five years of coverage, depending on the size of the flat.
The sum insured varies from $19,300 for a one-room flat to almost $100,000 for an executive flat.
Other insurers such as MSIG can provide comprehensive home insurance coverage, which includes the home’s contents, personal belongings, and third-party liability in case a neighbour makes a claim against you.
An MSIG spokesman told The New Paper: “If your home becomes uninhabitable after the damage, a comprehensive policy like MSIG Enhanced HomePlus would pay for alternative accommodation, conservancy charges and emergency cash allowance.
“These things all add up and can be a lifesaver in such an unfortunate situation.”
Its premiums start from $119 a year for a standard plan.
Source: www.tnp.sg
Former Utusan Malaysia editor and media icon Said Zahari passed away this afternoon.
His son Norman, posted about his passing on Facebook.
“Innalillah, my father Said Zahari had passed away at 12.30 in the afternoon,” Norman said.
Former Information Minister Zainudin Maidin, who worked with Said at Utusan Melayu (before its name was changed to Utusan Malaysia), said his former colleague was a brave and determined nationalist.
“We have known each other since Said hired me as a ‘stringer’ in 1958 for the Alor Setar office,” Zainudin fondly remembered.
According to Zainudin, among the accomplishments Said managed during his lifetime was his leadership of the 1961 strike movement against Umno taking over Utusan Melayu.
“He was also involved in the pro-Indonesia left-wing nationalist movement during the Confrontation,” Zainudin added.
Said, 88, a former journalist, was detained for 17 years under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in Singapore during Lee Kuan Yew’s reign as prime minister.
Said may had been a Singaporean citizen, but then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad granted him permanent residency in Malaysia – a move Zainudin fervently supported.
“He upheld the legacy of Utusan Melayu icons like Tan Sri Abdul Samad Ismail, Usman Awang and Samani Mohd Amin as journalists with integrity,” Zainudin said.
The plethora of books written by Said continues to be published by Utusan Publication and Distributors today.
Source: www.malaysiakini,com
When Malays used to be in the Navy…
Maybe they also didn’t have halal kitchen then
but they can ‘tapao’ the food or use “mangkuk tingkat”.
Mangkuk tingkat can be recycled to store gunpowder.
When there’s a problem, you can always find a solution.
its a matter of if you really want to solve it.
(someone pointed out to me that the other Malay soldier is Lt Adnan, the famous Malay hero who fought the Japanese)
Source: Shahlan S Shahlan
I can’t change the direction of the wind,
but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.
To my friends and family… yes most of us feel so much angry about the navy and their halal kitchen issue. We know and in-fact the minister himself knows that it just a lame excuse.
Hey, dont be so disheartened about that guys, what had happend semua nya ade hikmah. Allah knows what the best for us.
but it doesn’t stop us to voice out our frustration and also doesn’t stop us to excel ourselves in other sector.
Ye lah ade gak yang terkilan tak dapat masuk navy.. ade yg cita-cita dari kecik lagi. Time sekolah bila cikgu tanya dah besar nak jadi apa..kita iya iya dengan semangat “nak jadi captain atas kapal perang, Cikgu” Cikgu pun bagi semangat..ok bagus tu…kena belajar rajin2 tau…kita pun belajar lah rajin2, bapak tak mampu nak sambungkan kita sekolah, takpe, kita sekolah sambil bekerja part time.
Bila dah dapat semua Ilmu yg sepatut ade untuk apply Navy. Last last kena reject dengan alasan diberi takde halal kitchen. Tak ke terkilan…
Ilmu yg ade jangan lah disia-siakan, mohan pada Allah agar DIA tunjukkan jalan…
So sesiapa ade cita-cita nak jadi Captain kapal pergi lah website ni
http://www.wavelink.com.sg/wmi/programmes/deck-cadet.html
https://e2i.com.sg/…/re…/tripartite-nautical-training-award/
https://e2i.com.sg/…/regi…/special-limits-officer-programme/
or gi Singapore Polytechnic apply Diploma in Nautical Studies.
Takpe lah terkilan nak kerja kat kapal perang pun takpe asalkan dapat kerja atas kapal walaupun kapal dagang…GAJI LAGI BESAR DARI KAPAL PERANG TAU! Alhamdullilah dapat jugak sara hidup keluarga. Asalkan halal.
Bagi yg nak join ingat NEVER GIVE UP! Nothing come easy, work hard for it. You will be there eventually.
Need advice on it can watsapp me +6590503933.
Maju Lah Singapura!
Source: Zack Shaman FB