Every Sunday, after coffee at home with the Times Online, I religiously head for my favorite bak-kut-teh in PJ Newtown. I normally read a book whilst Kane gets my "tua-bak" ready. This Sunday I forgot to bring along my book. I went to the nearby news vendor. I normally only buy the NST on Tuesday to read Syed Nazri's takes on things. The Sunday Times caught my attention: Sunday Interview with Nazri Aziz. This guy has been vomiting out a lot of rancid stuff. I did not want to spoil my breakfast BUT the paper said that the interview was on page 6-8. That is very rare with the NST. Truth be told, I am a very suspicious chap. Why would they give him three pages? Why did Khairy, courtesy of Kali allow that? I still hesitated. When I used to read our MSM I paid scant attention to interview of politicians, especially in our UMNO and MCA daily newsletters.Most of these interviews are STAGED to score points. Staged, in that the interviewee would want ahead of time the questions to be asked. The reporter's (oopppss the interviewer) job is done when he/she submits the set of questions, which has been duly approved by the upstairs powers. u He/she just waits for the day to have the interview assured that there will be loads of kueh in between a hassle-free interwiew. While he/she waits for the appointed day, the politicians spin masters, special assistants or (the current flavour of the decade), think-tanks will busy themselves "researching". I was still undecided when Patrick Teoh of Niamah called: In that raspy familiar voice he asked if I read the Sunday Times. I asked," why"? He said, " Buy lah bruder, this char bor (girl) is damn good." I asked, "Which girl?" He volunteered, "That girl who interviewed that idjeet Nazri....she damn choon bruder." If Patrick says someone is damn choon, that person got to be really choon.
Of course the interviewee spewed out the same load of shet that we have heard ad infinitum. But Aniza was awesome. She knotted, she gutted his innards big time. She gave no quarters a la Larry King and Tim Sebastian. I have this evil thought that Nazri who has an overdose of self-esteem accepted the interview without the normal prepared questions. She led him by the nose to make him say that the majority is important, not the minority....bloggers are a minority... She then zapped him with "So the Indians, the minority is not important?" She confused him such that for once a miracle happened. Nazri, the all-knowing said. "I dont know. I dont know anything." She probed with open-ended questions and he fell into a dead-end...."I dont waste my time (reading the blogs)".....and as she egged him on about bloggers he said that the standard of bloggers must be upgraded. If you dont read blogs, how can you judge? She continue to parry and trust and he admitted that he could empathize with his fellow lawyers. Something outstanding I noticed about Aniza ....her perspicacity. Her questions had that mental penetration that is the hallmark of a good journalist. I am not one. But thats how I judge them. Her questions left no doubt what answers she expected. She was masterful. Those who come before her, just be prepared unless you want to be canned. More power to you Aniza. Do I hear head-hunters ringing your doorbell?
19 comments:
zorro,
thanks....er...
why am i thanking you?
becos Aniza was a wrtier/reporter with the political desk which i headed until Kalimullah disbanded it.
I was asked to pick my team and Aniza was among the newbies/rookies I took in.
yeah... good interview with nazri.
Joceline Tan changed her 'tone', since earlier this year.
That's what one get when there is a different agenda in one's writing. Maybe she should talk about 'Bah Kut Teh' and 'Tua Bak' too!
So perhaps like Joceline Tan, lets see how long this Aniza will last in lala land.
Or maybe NST has just seen the light? Wishful thinking, old dears.
only time she will have a orgasm, when writing about khairy
Maybe Nazri could benefit from a chat with indonesian Communications and Information Minister Muhammad Nuh, who declared national Bloggers Day in Indonesia? Got phone number if he want lah. ;)
While you might have the initial nostalgis euphoria of an overlong missed fresh breeze since dunno when , you just might be too rash in showering needless praises on this "here I come" journalist,( she might be another artificial 1 -hit wonder ala AAB, remember or not ?) for u know not the actual undercurrents since 12 months back, other than the glimpses of scant 2nd or 3rd hand info gathered ( erroneously or slanted ) courtesy Malaysiakini or whatever . you just have to wait a while for the second interview on another more smarter( nobody is more stupid then the defacto I must add ) politician to draw any real conclusions. For a long time now we already know Nazri the idiot is well an idiot , even another idiot also knows that ! but NST is playing games as you have rigthtly pointed out, so we shud just accept it as round 1 ,
0-0.
I did not get a chance to read this interview but from your description, Aniza sounds like one of those outstanding investigative reporters I see/hear in the west. They are relentless with their questions, which can sometimes render the interviewee speechless or reduced to tears.
Hear, hear ... more power to you, Aniza.
joceline who?
For those who didn’t get to read the interview, it is currently available here: http://tinyurl.com/2vfgbu
Mr. Zorro, to your writing:
‘She led him by the nose to make him say that the majority is important, not the minority....bloggers are a minority... She then zapped him with “So the Indians, the minority is not important?” She confused him such that for once a miracle happened. Nazri, the all-knowing said. “I dont know. I dont know anything.”’
It almost sounded as if she asked, “So the Indians, the minority is not important?” And the Minister replied, “I don’t know. I don’t know anything.”
But it was printed rather like this:
...snip...
...snip...
Q: Is the tenure of the chief justice going to be extended?
A: I don’t know. I don’t know anything.
...snip...
...snip...
Q: Indians in Malaysia are a minority. Does that mean that they don’t count?
A: No, not in that minority sense. I am talking about bloggers.
When you talk about minority in the sense of perkauman, they are very important, because they are our rakyat, a rakyat that needs to be helped.
Bloggers don’t need to be helped. They are merely throwing rubbish into the blog.
I have no concern for and care about bloggers.
The problems of Indians as a minority is different from the problems of the bloggers. You must appreciate that. I don’t care about the bloggers, but I do care about the minority Indians.
In my constituency, I take care of them. You can go to my constituency and see what I have done for the Indian minority. I was the one to open the training in Mara for the Indian youths.
These are my concerns.
...snip...
...snip...
Just thought I clear that at least for myself.
Aniza is good, no doubt but the credit should go to the subs and her seniors who approved what she had written. They could have spiked important parts of the interview to save Nazri's face.
In this case, the entire interview made that guy look so stupid that, even if truncated he would still look stupid, so the subs let everything go through.
Well done Aniza , u betul betul pulled Nazri by his nose and led him where you wanted him to go.
Btw guys ,,, If its a Malay problem ,its a National problem. if it's a Chinese problem ,its a Racial problem.AND if its an Indian problem,, PROBLEM ?? WHAT PROBLEM ???
Let's see how Aniza Damis handle someone intelligent.
NA doesn't count, ok. It's like shooting fish in a barrel.
Nonetheless, it was a good read, particularly, since it was published in the Nasty Pee. And her line of questioning was vintage prying and gouging, thus, resulting with an incredulous NA barfing his guts out.
Ewwwww. Nuff said.
Like zorro I am an ardent fan now of Aniza. Aniza you are like a breath of fresh air la in our newspapers. I don't agree with shar101. Even with a dumbass like NA it takes a good journalist to bring out the worse in the guy. Aniza, if you're reading this Zorro and I would like to buy you dinner. Eh Zorro? We go makan at my steamboat place in DJ. It would be an honour, Aniza.
Bernard,
I agree with you. Aniza is one journalist I admire. She sets the benchmark for journalism. But I fear it won't be long too.... soon, we hear a shift of ideology, or, removal of the thorn in the flesh.
I've read it. Great interview. And an even greater post tht you have here for bringing it up. In fact I read it for free somewhere on a Tea Plantation in CH (not GH lah!) over the weekend. I'm back to being a swampman lah, Unker B.
Err... Unker, I thought you were a fan of Mungo Jerry's or Liang Kee's?
My endearing Swamp Man....those two are NIGHT choices.This one for those who took the wrong turn to Sunday Mass.
I salute u Aniza ... esp after having Joceline Tan for quite a while!
U could be a rookie but that Nazri, perhaps taken up by ur beauty, made a complete ass of himself!
Bravo n Syabas..
List me in ur fan club!
There was VK Chin, then there was Wong Chun Wai and then Jostling Tan...
We get new people all the time if you catch the drift.. sheesh...
Anyway... on a sincere level, I think Aniza is pretty good. I have read the article. Seems like Nazri contradicted himself in the same interview..
Regards
Sagaladoola
jocelyn tan? if you want skewed reporting, go get her.
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