By Iylia Marsya Iskandar
If there is a description for passion, it would be a spark that is built in our hearts that spreads to our bones, engulfing us as a whole.
With a strong passion in writing and news reporting, Datuk Seri Azman Ujang has a DNA in journalism with a nose that is able to detect news even 10 kilometres away.
Spending decades being involved in a profession that he deeply loves has led to the conferment of several awards, including The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon award he received from the Japanese government earlier this month.
The Sarawak-born journalist possessed a notable flair in writing since his early years which was discovered by his teachers. Notably, the ex-Chairman of BERNAMA also read Straits Times (now named New Straits Times) since he was 10 years old up to this day where he still subscribes to the newspaper along with The Sun and The Star that are directly delivered to his house.
During his schooling days Azman often received comments such as œyoud be a good reporter by his teachers and was often called up to read his essays in class, setting an example of what a good essay looks like.
Months after finishing high school, Azman was offerred a job at BERNAMA office in Kuching, thus, that is the spark that has flamed him into decades of success, dedication and hard work.
Azman Ujang began his career with BERNAMA as a cadet reporter at BERNAMA Sarawak bureau in 1971 and was promoted to head the Sabah bureau in 1982. The following year he was appointed as Economic News Service news editor.
During his illustrious career with BERNAMA spanning over 40 years, Azman was promoted to various editorial positions, including assistant editor of the News Desk, Features Desk and acting editor of the Features and Foreign News Desk.
He rose from the ranks to become Editor-in-Chief in 2004 and later in 2008 as General Manager. In 2016, he was appointed as Chairman of BERNAMA until completion of his term in 2020.
Azman Ujang became the first ever to hold the top three posts of Chairman, General Manager and Editor-in-Chief in the history of the national news agency.
Commenting on this, Azman said: œI rose in my career because of my nose for the news and I chased news 24/7. Journalism is not a 9-5 job, you cannot be fussy about time.”
“In my career I have missed my birthday, familys birthdays and they want to cut the cake, I say no, landslide at Genting and even Highland Tower, people dug up the bodies so I have to be there.
I owe it to my profession to do my very best. Whatever you do, dont overdo it and dont do cincai work.
However, whatever post he holds, he still regards himself as a journalist as it runs in his DNA.
Speaking on his colourful experience in an interview with IIUMToday recently, Azman shared that he is well-known as a reporter who always asked hard but crucial questions during interviews and press conferences.
œI dont want to blow my own trumpet, but I want to get the best out of the very best and I dont apologise for asking hard questions, rather than go back and write that this governor told us about the economy, for example I asked; ‘We have a lot of people who are declared bankrupt but they are very rich’.
His question, which invoked the interests of other journalists and editors as well, had led it to be front page news in several newspapers. Citing The Star, the headline featuring his question read œRich bankrupts, an angle that may not have been discovered if he did not ask the question.
On another occasion, Azman asked a Menteri Besar on his resignation on live television as he had held his post for 32 years.
Even though coming out with strong questions, Azman did not intend to offend anyone, rather, he was just doing his job as a reporter to provide a newsworthy news with an oomph.
His interviewing skills led him to be very well-known within the journalism circle.
Reflecting on his experience, Azman shared that writing news stories used to be quite hard as compared to these days as œwe have to carry out and type on a typewriter and after that we have to go to the telex office to send the story by telex. We started with a teleprinter, so I have to send the story to KL. I think because of the difficulties that we went through we were less casual in doing our jobs.
Azman Ujang has covered a wide range of national issues. When Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad became Prime Minister in 1981, he was attached as a reporter for the Prime Minister and covered most of his official overseas trips which led him to meet the United States former President Bill Clinton.
Not only that, he also reported on the end of the communist insurgency in Malaysia when the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) signed a peace agreement with Malaysia in Hatyai (Thailand) on 2 December 1989. To celebrate the signing of the peace agreement and the ending of CPM’s arms struggle, an after-party was held and journalists were not welcomed to the after-party, but his drive and dedication led him to attend the event where he met face-to-face with Chin Peng (CPM leader) himself.
He said to Chin Peng: œWhen I was a kid, the mere mention of your name, struck fear but here I am in front of you.
Azman said that the interesting thing about being a journalist is that you are able to network and speak to everyone including the King, the Prime Minister, and fishermen among others, that had widened his perspectives.
Commenting on the current media industry, he wishes for the public to continue to support the mainstream traditional media, the printed newspapers.
œNowadays GEN Y dont read because they have handphones, I hope people continue to support the newspapers, I dont want newspapers to close down because they lose their readers, if they lose readers, they lose the newspapers, he said.
Illustrating further, he shared that one local newspaper used to have 700 staff, but now they are capable of hiring only 70. Furthermore, the daily newspaper circulation used to be 150,000, now it’s only 20,000.
Azman also hopes that present day reporters will try their very best in this profession and be more daring in discovering angles that will bring in that element of flavour and do not do half-hearted reports.
œI get upset whenever my journalists give me cincai work. Who doesnt give their best effort will get a lecture from me because everything is online, the whole world will read our news, people will know and what is even worse is when you write something factually wrong, then people will get upset, he said.
As a veteran journalist he shared: œImprove yourself, be extraordinary and youll be noticed.
Furthermore, he said that it is important for journalists to have a good command in English to keep up with world issues and for the world to be able to read our news.
œI thank the fact that I am English educated, I pray education system will go back with English as the main medium of instruction, he said.
During the interview, Azman Ujang who is a hardcore reporter by DNA shared that he has never met with a challenge throughout his decades of flourishing career, not because there were no challenges, but he has always chosen to enjoy the job and to be extraordinary, always.
Azmans sparks of flame is journalism that continued to stream in his DNA which led to his extraordinary success. This has inspired others too.
What is your spark that you choose to embark on? ***