Ismail Kassim knows Malaysian politics better than most

SINGAPORE, Oct 5 - Many people believe that Malaysian politics is on the verge of a major change, with the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat taking power from the ruling Barisan Nasional.

But Ismail Kassim, 65, is not holding out for it.

On the political battle between Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat that is playing out across the Causeway, the former Straits Times' Kuala Lumpur correspondent says that the most optimistic scenario is that the race-bound structure of politics will change and give way to
multiracialism and a two-party system.

'The opposite would be that things will continue as usual,' he said.

'I think, to me, it is more likely to stay the same, or maybe get slightly better, because the fundamentals of Malaysian politics haven't changed much. If you look at it, the main problem that is affecting race relations and alienating people from the ruling front is religion. This
will not go away even if Pakatan Rakyat takes over.'

While more than a decade has passed since he left Malaysia as a Straits Times correspondent in 1995, the retired Singaporean journalist has kept abreast of political developments there.

For more than 20 years, he reported almost all the major events in the country and interviewed almost every politician and social activist of any note. He won the inaugural Asean Awards in the field of Communication in Bangkok in 1987 for his coverage of Malaysian politics.

He has now woven his experience of covering Malaysian politics into a 314-page book titled A Reporter's Memoir: No Hard Feelings. It will go on sale later this month.

While the book does not touch on the Malaysian political scene now, it does provide insights into the key players who are still around. One example is Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, leader of the opposition coalition, who is portrayed in the book as someone ruthlessly ambitious, with good
public relations skills and a flair for the dramatic.

Knowing his character, Mr Ismail believes Mr Anwar is now bluffing when he says he has enough defectors from Barisan Nasional who will join him to form a new government.

The self-published book also documents his life as a former teacher, soldier, reporter and unionist.

A Malay with Indian-Chinese roots, Mr Ismail came from a middle-class family. His father was a clerk in the Postal Services Department (now known as Singapore Post) and his mother was a housewife.

He, his four brothers and three sisters grew up in government quarters in Anthony Road before moving to a double-storey terrace house in Monk's Hill Terrace.

He stumbled into political journalism 'accidentally', although his interest in the field was sparked when he was a student at Raffles Institution.

Back then, the school was in Bras Basah Road, and instead of going home after classes, he would occasionally walk to the United States Information Service Library near Clifford Pier to pore over Life and National Geographic magazines. As he flipped the pages, he fantasised
about becoming a foreign correspondent one day.

In 1961, however, he went into teaching. He did his pre-university studies on his own in 1965, and obtained his Higher School Certificate (the equivalent of today's A levels) the same year. He enrolled at the then University of Singapore two years later.

In 1972, after completing his Master of Social Sciences (Political Science), he joined New Nation, an afternoon tabloid which ended its publication in 1982.

He began writing a regular column on politics - first on Malaysia, then on the region, and later on international affairs - which propelled his career and helped him to carve a niche as a political commentator.

'At that time, there were things happening in Malaysia, so I thought, what better topic? Nobody was writing about Malaysia then,' he recalled.

For a couple of years, he was an armchair critic, relying on regional newspaper reports and his political science knowledge from his university courses to get by.

In 1975, he was sent on his first assignment to Kuala Lumpur to cover an Umno Youth division meeting to protest against the jailing of their leader, Datuk Harun Idris.

He recalled how he had finished his interview with the leaders at midnight and had to write his story in the dim light of a third-rate hotel in Jalan Bukit Bintang, which was a red-light district at that time.

The report turned out well, and from then on, he started making lightning visits to Malaysia to do stories.

When he was transferred to The Straits Times in 1982, he continued to report from Malaysia, living out of a suitcase in one hotel after another for several years before finally settling down in a rented apartment.

By 1993, he had covered at least 12 Umno annual general assemblies, four general elections, umpteen by-elections, racial tensions and all sorts of crises, so much so he almost became 'a little emotionally involved', he said.

Cheong Yip Seng, who was the editor of New Nation and The Straits Times when Ismail was still with the papers, told The Sunday Times: 'His best work during his journalistic career with us was his coverage of Malaysia. He's a very well-regarded observer of the Malaysia scene. As a
journalist, he was serious, he wrote well and he wrote with insight.'

During his time in Malaysia, he also began to feel what he calls in his book 'the winds of Islamic religious fervour'.

More and more women in Malaysia were voluntarily covering up their heads with the mini-telekung, a kind of shawl that covers up everything except the face, while their male counterparts opted for a loose gown called the jubah.

It made the self-confessed religious sceptic wonder if the spirit of the religion was giving way to its form.

'Religion can be a force for good. But it can also be a double-edged sword. Some followers may think that everyone has to pray to God in one way and those who don't do it are wrong, and they force people to practise the way they do,' he said.

By the early 1990s, work had started to take a toll on him. He also grew 'a little bored' with Malaysian politics. So in 1995, just three months before his 53rd birthday, he ended his illustrious journalism career.

He went on a six-week tour in Europe and returned to live in Kuala Lumpur.

But a year later, he decided to return to Singapore for good as he knew he would 'never be happy as a Malaysian'.

'I am someone who cannot keep my mouth shut when I see something disagreeable happening. In Singapore, as a citizen, I have the right to express my opinion at any time on any issue. I cannot do it in Malaysia, even if I become a permanent resident or a citizen,' he said.

The bachelor bought a three-room HDB flat in Marine Parade and lives modestly on his savings.

In between learning Mandarin and qigong, he took 10 months last year to work on his memoir. The first draft was completed in December.

Asked if he has any plans to write another book, he said: 'At my age, I don't want to think too much. I still love to write but I will take things one at a time. If I get inspiration, I may write a book on qigong.'

While some may see a contradiction between Islam and qigong, Ismail thinks otherwise.

'If you look at the broad picture, there is no conflict. Qigong deals with the present world, while religion deals with the next world,' he said.

'The basic principle of qigong is the belief in qi, which means universal energy. Qi does not discriminate against anybody; whether you are Malay, Chinese or Indian, it's freely available. Everybody can learn how to cultivate qi. There is a saying: Religion divides, spirituality unites. I
must add that qi also unites.'