Citizen Nades calls it a day after 17 years

PETALING JAYA: Veteran journalist R. Nadeswaran (pix) retires today, bringing an end to a distinguished career that spanned over 50 years, of which the last 17 years were with theSun.
Nades, who is known for his bi-weekly "Citizen Nades" column in theSun, began his half-century-odd journey in the profession as a sports stringer for The Malay Mail while still in secondary school in the late 1960s.
The veteran award-winning journalist, who was theSun's Investigative and Special Reports editor, is known for pulling no punches when confronting misgovernance, corruption and lack of transparency in the administration of the country.
Among the biggest expose by the journalist-extraordinaire while at theSun was the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, which he later revisited in his book Some Untold Stories.
"I had a good innings," said Nadeswaran, who is an avid cricketer and golfer. "I am still batting and the game is far from over.
"The fight against corruption and cronyism can only be confronted by having people with integrity in the system. The sloganeering and campaigns of clean government have fallen on deaf ears.
"The battle for a better society has to continue. This is not the end of the road for me and it will be a never- ending fight," he said.
"Now, the time has come for me to say farewell to an organisation that has been part of my life all these years. Saying farewell to such a long-standing relationship is not easy, but someday, it has to be done.
"I wish to thank all of you for your support, letters of encouragement, pats on the back, congratulatory messages and the occasional brickbat! I always believe that when you give, you must be able to take," he said.
Nades said his inner circle of friends have been asking if he intends to continue writing.
"Yes and no. My immediate goal is to get my next book out in print. It is called Curi Curi Malaysia, which I am in the final stages of editing."