Said Zahari
Born(1928-05-18)May 18, 1928
Singapore, Straits Settlement
DiedApril 12, 2016(2016-04-12) (aged 87)
Malaysia
Other namesPak Said
Alma mater
Occupation(s)writer (former), editor-in-chief (former)
Employers
  • Utusan Melayu (former)
  • Asia Research Bulletin (former)
  • ASEAN Business Quarterly (former)
Known forformer prisoner of conscience of Operation Coldstore
Notable work
  • Puisi Dari Penjara (Poems From Prison) (1973)
  • Meniti Lautan Gelora: Sebuah Memoir Politik (Dark Clouds At Dawn: A Political Memoir) (2001)
  • Dalam Ribuan Mimpi Gelisah: Memoir (The Long Nightmare: My 17 Years As A Political Prisoner) (2006)
  • Suara bicara: Fragment memoir Said Zahari (2016)
Spouse
Salamah Abdul Wahab
​
​
(m. 1955; died 2004)​
Children4

Said Zahari (18 May 1928 – 12 April 2016) was a Singaporean writer and journalist. He was a former editor-in-chief of the Malay language newspaper Utusan Melayu, and an advocate of unbiased freedom of the press. Although he resided in Malaysia with his family, he insisted on retaining his Singapore citizenship.

Early life

Said was born in Singapore to Javanese parents.[1] He led a journalists' strike against the takeover of the newspaper by United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).

Also known as Pak Said, he was detained on 2 February 1963 at 4.30 am by the Singapore Government and subsequently held for 17 years without trial. Allegations against him included being a "Communist". He now holds the distinction of being the second longest-serving political detainee in Singapore after Chia Thye Poh.

He was arrested during Operation Coldstore, a joint Malaysian and Singaporean operation to silence 117 opposition and union leaders under the Internal Security Act.

A documentary [2] made by film maker Martyn See about his 17 years as a political prisoner in Singapore was banned by the Board of Film Censors under the Films Act, which prohibit its possession and distribution.

In the documentary, Zahari recounts the events that follows his election as chairman of Parti Rakyat Singapura on the night before Operation Coldstore. He details his subsequent detention where he was kept in solitary confinement for long period in poor condition and explicitly threatened with death if he did not choose to confess his alleged crimes and cooperate with the authority. Part of the film shows Zahari conversing with the interviewer in fluent Mandarin, which he was taught during his forced detention without trial by fellow Chinese educated detainees, who were in the majority.

In a Singapore government media release highlighting the ban, it was stated that the documentary in question, "gives a distorted and misleading portrayal of Said Zahari's arrest and detention under the Internal Security Act in 1963".[3]

Amnesty International recognizes Zahari as a former "prisoner of conscience."[4][5]

Personal life

Said Zahari married Salamah Adul Wahab in 1955. He had 2 sons and 2 daughters.[6]

Said Zahari died on 12 April 2016 at 12.30 pm (UTC+08:00) in Malaysia; his death was announced by his son Norman Said on his Facebook post.[7][8]

Notable works

  • Puisi Dari Penjara (Poems From Prison) (1973)
  • Meniti Lautan Gelora: Sebuah Memoir Politik (Dark Clouds At Dawn: A Political Memoir) (2001)
  • Dalam Ribuan Mimpi Gelisah: Memoir (The Long Nightmare: My 17 Years As A Political Prisoner) (2006)
  • Suara bicara: Fragment memoir Said Zahari (2016)

[9]

References

  1. ↑ The Mandela of Malaysian journalism Archived 2022-10-09 at the Wayback Machine, KS Jomo, 6 April 2001, Malaysiakini
  2. ↑ Details about the 49 minutes documentary Archived 2006-04-18 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 13 April 2007.
  3. ↑ Scanned documentation of originals Archived 2022-10-09 at the Wayback Machine, Accessed 13 April 2007.
  4. ↑ "Ex-top editor re-lives days in detention". Malaysiakini. 9 January 2006. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  5. ↑ "Mahathir may launch Said Zahari's book". 16 January 2006. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  6. ↑ Singapore, National Library Board. "Said Zahari | Infopedia". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 2019-01-14. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
  7. ↑ "Norman Said announces his father Said Zahari's passing". Norman Said. 2016-04-12. Archived from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
  8. ↑ "Media icon Said Zahari passes away". Malaysiakini. 2016-04-12. Archived from the original on 2016-04-13. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
  9. ↑ "Said Zahari". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. 2018-02-20. Archived from the original on 2019-01-14. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
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