18
speak up!
A friend and mentor
remembered
WRITING about friends who have
passed on usually takes one down
memory lane. I never thought I
would have to write Kasem Cha
Tong’s obituary. With so much
already written about him, what
more could I add? Plenty, because
over 24 years, we took different
paths which had to eventually meet.
Besides being such an easy-going
and nice bloke, who hardly raised
his voice, Kasem had the ability
to be nice even to the harshest of
people. Once, he stood for a good
15 minutes in the witness box as a
counsel's verbal onslaught began.
If his counsel, Datuk V. L. Kandan
had not intervened and asked that
Kasem be accorded the respect as a
witness, he would have stood there,
smiling, cool as a cucumber.
Behind the façade of a “piracy
buster” was a good human being,
who bore no grudges but made an
enemy or two in the course of his
work, which he never discussed
except with one or two close
buddies. To me, he was not just
another friend – he was mentor,
confidant and to a certain extent,
“Uncle Kasem” to the family.
“To write about copyright, you
must first understand the law,” he
used to tell me. And so, there were
“tuition” classes on the law – in his
office and in the pubs, where we
spent quite a lot of time.
Flashback to 1984 – a period
when Malaysians were notorious
for being able to reproduce audio
discs which had been released in
the United States a week earlier.
Pirated music accounted for 80%
of domestic sales and international
record companies were feeling
the pinch. In June of that year, the
former deputy public prosecutor,
Muhammad Shafie Abdullah was
doing his LLM in London. As usual,
there was a parcel from Malaysia to
be delivered to him – some home-
made serunding and plenty of Maggi
noodles which were conveniently
carried in the cricket kit.
TELLING IT AS IT IS
Acting Editor-in-Chief: Chong Cheng Hai
Consultant Editor: Zainon Ahmad
Executive Editor: Lee Boon Siew
Deputy Editor: Patrick Choo (Production),
Editor: R. Nadeswaran (Special Reporting)
CitizenNades
by R. Nadeswaran
“Do
you know
the new man to fight music piracy
in Malaysia?” asked Shafie. “You
should meet him … he’s a nice
bloke.” A day later, the formal
introduction took place, but Kasem
was busy – he was working as a
salesman in the shoe department
at Selfridges to see him through
his Bar finals. His wife, Irene, was
working in a supermarket and their
eldest child Vicharn was in his
formative years.
But we did meet up for a long
chat in Kuala Lumpur at the Plaza
Hotel opposite his office in Wisma
Thakurdas. One subject led to
another but the central point was
music piracy. Then came Dec 1,
1987. IFPI regional director Nic
Garnett, Kasem and I celebrated
after the launch at Canteena’s in
Bangsar.
Millions of compact discs and
audio cassettes were seized; and
Kasem pulled off a master-stroke as
General Manager, Advertising and Marketing: Charles Peters
Production Manager: Thomas Kang
Distribution Channels, Senior Manager: Joehari Abdul Jabbar
the raids were carried out – he
offered amnesty. “Give up,
surrender the pirated products
in your possession and we
won’t proceed.”
Many were unhappy with
such a stand. They were of
the opinion that with the new
laws, it was time for a “kill”.
Within a week, four owned up,
and I wrote the story which
made the front page in the
NST.
Over the years, Kasem was
to make other stunning
decisions, like giving
up his job. “I had
enough,” that’s
what he said
and opened
an agency,
which among
others had the
Motion Picture
Producers
of America
on board. But
Kasem was
never cut out to
be a businessman.
His love and passion
was investigations Kasem ...
as he had been a Piracy buster
policeman and was
seconded to the Anti-
Corruption Agency.
Thus the venture did
not last long. By December
1996, he made yet another
decision. He had packed his
bags leaving his family and
headed for where his heart
took him – London, where he
did consultancy work. We met
regularly as I was studying
law there. For two years,
we enjoyed ourselves in the
kitchen – his specialty being
“Hokkien mee” which was a
rarity in English kitchens.
I returned in 1999 and
was in touch with him for
a while before he cut off all
communications. In June 2004,
a familiar voice came on the
phone: “Nades! Siamese here,
can we meet?”
“Are you calling me from
London?”
letters
letters@thesundaily.com
Zero tolerance for
profanity in Parliament
ETIQUETTE has been thrown out
of the window in Parliament and
vulgarity is in.
The shameless utterance of the
“b ... word” followed by another
blast of “bloody b...” in the august
house should have been severely
punished. The deterrent should
have been adequate enough to re-
gain the lost reputation and restore
the pride and honour of not only
Parliament but also the ruling party
and every MP worth his salt.
Unfortunately, wisdom flew out
of the window as a “tit-for-tat” ap-
proach took precedence.
The Deputy Speaker laid a
Cheaper meals should follow
THOSAI and chapati in Indian res-
taurants used to cost 70 to 80 sen
each about five years ago. Later,
the price went up gradually until it
was RM1 just before the first petrol
price increase in June.
The petrol price rise was
cited by traders for the increase
in prices of many essential goods
and services including food items.
Thus price of thosai and chapati
was raised to RM1.20 and some
popular restaurants even charged
RM1.50
Now, even though the govern-
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“In KL.”
I spent an entire day
with him, arranged for him
to meet his estranged wife
and children, and he was
gone as soon as he came.
Three months later, he was
on the phone extending his
condolences on the death of
my daughter. All he said was:
“I am on the other side of
the border. I have to sort out
the old man’s properties and
business.”
After failing to reach
him on the telephone
on several occasions,
he re-appeared
on the scene two
months ago. “I’m
OK, leading
a simple life
looking after a
small rubber
estate in Golok
which the old
man left for
me…,” he told us.
That was it. He
made an exit a week
later. No goodbyes,
no hugs. Nothing. At
midnight on Tuesday
in London, I got a call:
“Your buddy Kasem
Cha Tong was shot dead in
Golok.” To say I was stunned
would be an understatement.
More than 12 years ago, he
challenged me: “If you don’t
start studying law by next
year, you’ll have to drink the
drain water in front of your
house.” I have been there,
done it, Kasem. What can I
say? Thanks for the memories
– good and bad. May your soul
rest in peace, dear Siamese.
R. Nadeswaran dedicates
this week’s column to his
dear friend and mentor who
was shot dead in Golok on
Tuesday. He is editor (special
and investigative reporting) at
theSun and can be reached at:
citizen-nades@thesundaily.com.
condition for further corrective
action. The logic was since one MP
had “provoked” by using the word
“benci”, it was inevitable to retort
with profanity.
What kind of justice is this? What
kind of lessons are we teaching?
Such incidents should not be
swept under the carpet. Politics
may be dirty but parliamentarians
do not have a passport to use dirty
words.
Please Mr Prime Minister, do
something about this soiled fabric.
J. D. Lovrenciear
Semenyih
ment has lowered fuel prices from
RM2.70 a litre in June to RM2.30
in October – with more cuts on
the cards in November – Indian
restaurants and food-stall owners
have yet to reduce the prices of
thosai and chapati to reflect the
significant cut in fuel prices.
I urge the authorities to ask the
restaurant operators to reduce the
prices of food items after the next
fuel price reduction in November.
S. R. Nathan
Petaling Jaya