KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Abdul Wahab Abdul Majid (pix), a pioneer of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), passed away early today, just one day short of his 90th birthday.
His son, Azhani Abdul Wahab, said his father breathed his last at 1.20am at University of Malaya Medical Centre.
Apart from Azhani, he also leaves behind a daughter Adlina who was formerly with the Star Media Group Bhd. Abdul Wahab’s wife Datin Kamsiah Ibrahim died in 2015 after a stroke.
While his father and siblings chose to become teachers, Abdul Wahab who hailed from Kampung Dong in Raub, Pahang took on a number of occupations before finding his true passion in journalism in 1951, starting with a stint with Utusan Melayu in Cecil Street in Singapore.
He returned to Kuala Lumpur in 1954 and joined the Chinese daily Nanyang Siang Pau, where he wrote in English and the news was translated into Mandarin. He was there for a decade covering important developments in the 1960s including the Indonesian Confrontation and had accompanied then Chief Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman on informing the world and the United Nations on Malaysia’s stand on the conflict.
When the idea of establishing Bernama was mooted, in 1968 Abdul Wahab was appointed as the News Executive for the Malay section along with Chang Yen Fooi of the Straits Times in the English section. They were among the pioneers of Bernama along with Bernama’s first general manager the late Syed Zainal Abidin and secretary the late Mohd Yusof Bador.
Musa Scully, the pioneering chief reporter with Bernama, recalled Abdul Wahab helping establish the newsroom including in the intake of the pioneering batch of Bernama reporters.
Musa said he looked after his staff well with two of those working under him being Suffian Mustapha, who later became the press secretary to the minister of rural development, and Tan Sri Khalid Yunus who later became a deputy minister.
After a short stint with Bernama, Abdul Wahab served as the press secretary to Tun Hussein Onn.
Meanwhile, Khalid when contacted by Bernama said Abdul Wahab’s demise is a great loss for the country’s journalism fraternity.
Abdul Wahab had close relations with the nation’s key leaders and was known by many top journalists especially in this part of the world.
“He was very close to me and one who was always willing to share his knowledge and experience, “ he added.
His body was taken to Masjid Tun Abdul Aziz Petaling Jaya from his house in Jalan 14/28, Petaling Jaya at 10.30am and is expected to be buried at Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery after Zohor prayers. — Bernama
