Tuesday 12 April 2016

Mohamed Said bin Zahari 1928-2016

Full name: Mohamed Said bin Zahari
Call name: Said Zahari
Born: 18 May 1928 in Singapore
Occupation: journalist with Utusan Melayu in Singapore, 1952 onward; writer of 3 books
Imprisonment: 1963, for 17 years, imprisonment without trial (which violates human rights)
Demise: 12 April 2016  in Malaysia (he was 87, 5 weeks before his 88th birthday)

Wife: Salmah bt Abdul Wahab
Demise: She died of breast cancer, after a difficult time surviving while Said was imprisoned.
Occupation: Housewife

Children: 4
  1. Roesman
  2. Rismawati
  3. Norman
  4. Roslinda
All his children are grown  up, married and have families. They reside in Malaysia.

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Mohamed Said bin Zahari
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaLaeDN4t2U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUBKs1DCqaE

He was a young man in the newspaper then based in Singapore in 1963 when he was detained without trial in Singapore, for 17 years. His family survived without him during those "Dark Clouds At Dawn". His stories are told in his books which have been produced in English and Chinese. His books can be read at Arkib Negara Malaysia.

Detained along with many other persons, mainly Chinese, he picked up the language and mastered it. Now a fluent Chinese speaker, he lives to tell his sad story.

His wife Salmah died of breast cancer in 2004.

Said  is the father of 4 beautiful children and has many grandchildren. His children are Roesman, Rismawati, Norman and Roslinda. All families are residing in Malaysia.

Martyn See Tong Ming Blog
http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com/2005/08/lee-had-ambitions-to-be-pm-of-malaysia.html

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Maklumat Bahan

SALMAH MERAYU KEPADA KERAJAAN - BEBASKAN SUAMI SAYA - RENCANA DALAM UTUSAN MELAYU, 15 OGOS 1966

(No. rujukan: 2003/0001053; Jenis bahan: Artikel; Negeri: IBU PEJABAT)

TajukSALMAH MERAYU KEPADA KERAJAAN - BEBASKAN SUAMI SAYA - RENCANA DALAM UTUSAN MELAYU, 15 OGOS 1966
Diskripsi
LokasiIBU PEJABAT
No.Penerimaan / No.Rujukan2003/0001053
SumberMOHAMED SAID BIN ZAHARI (SAID ZAHARI)

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Said Zahari. 2001. Dark Clouds at Dawn: A Political Memoir. Kuala Lumpur: Insan.


Said Zahari with his wife Salamah bt Abdul Wahab, 1988.

Said Zahari is Mohamed Said bin Zahari. He last worked as newspaper Utusan Editor in 1963 in Singapore before his unprecedented detention without trial for 17 years. He was released in 1979. 

Said
Said and Salamah rejoicing in their reunion after 17 years living apart. Salamah succumbed to breast cancer and passed away in December 2004. Said continues to live, sticking to writing his memoirs and with financial support from being an Honorary Fellow at UKM.
 
Their 4 children are Roesman Said, Rismawati Said, Norman Said @ Noordin and Roslinda Said. The children and the fate of their parents are told in many Internet pages and also in Wikipedia. All the 4 children can be found in Facebook.

Said's children (from left): Roesman, Rismawati, Norman and Roslinda, 2008. Photo from Norman.

Salamah was the younger sister of Datin Seri Saliah bt Abdul Wahab, wife of Tan Sri Dr Raja Ahmad Noordin bin Raja Shahbuddin, an early Malay doctor (UM S'pore Class of 1956). Norman was placed in the care of Tan Sri Dr Raja Ahmad Noordin & wife at about age 3-4 years. The 3 other kids stayed with their mother, who had to work to support her kids while her husband was in detention. The sad story is told in Said Zahari's book - Dark Clouds at Dawn. I saw the book at Kinokuniya at KLCC but I did not buy it - I was scared to purchase it. I read the book at Arkib Negara Malaysia in KL instead and I could not finish reading it as it was very sad. It was very inhumane to treat a married man like what happened to Said Zahari.


Said Zahari in his study
Norman bin Mohamed Said @ Noordin.
Photo was taken by me at USM Medical School in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan.
Father and son, Said (80) and Norman (49) at Said's 80th birthday celebration in 2008.
Photo from Norman.

Father and son, Said (82) and Norman (51) celebrating Said's 82nd birthday in 2010.
Photo was taken from Facebook.