IN THE NEWS:
THE SUN: The ‘fear’ and ‘hate’ factors of being a scribe
by R.Nadeswaran
14th October 2009
THIS column is guided by principles that it would not touch race, religion or politics and neither would it be used for personal agendas. Once, in the past six years, an exception was made. Although today’s column may not have breached these principles, some would view it differently. Hence, this caveat at the very start.
In April last year, the editor of ADOI magazine Harmandar Singh posed this question: "Mr Expose, many people in power fear you. What do you have to say to that?"
It didn’t take me long to answer, but this is how my reply appeared in print:
"I don’t deserve that title and I don’t think everyone fears me. Yes, I have overheard one developer say that ‘I need Nades around like a bullet in my head’, but by and large, there is no fear, no shame, nothing. Did Zakaria Mat Deros (God bless his soul) fear me after I exposed him? No! He just defied logic, aided and abetted by his party leaders who described him as a ‘good leader and we need his services.’ So, for this man, it was business as usual because if he has the backing of the top brass, why should he worry, especially, a journalist? Look at the Selangor state secretary. When I said that building on road reserve is against the law, he was asked by the chief secretary to the government to answer. But he did not. Do you know why? Someone told him: ‘The chief secretary may be your boss, but you report to me and not to him!’ There are some who are petrified on hearing my name. The only consolation I can take is that their conscience is pricking them. Even some good friends have been caught in such a situation and they always stumble to defend themselves. However, the fearless outnumber the fearful." Full story ...
THE SUN: THE TRUTH SEEKER
14th October 2009
THE Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project was mooted in 1999 to attract foreign investments and promote Malaysia’s main port. Budgeted for completion at under RM2 billion, the project’s cost has instead ballooned to end up costing over RM12 billion.
R. Nadeswaran, editor of the special and investigative reporting desk at theSun, was the first to highlight the problems plaguing the project in 2004.
The 58-year-old journalist continued to pursue the story since then in various exposes and in his Citizen Nades column.
He has now put together his thoughts and notes on the affair in a book, Some Untold Stories. In it, he gives some background on his efforts to expose the scandal, how he pieced the whole affair together, his personal views and reflections on what he had found out, as well as some unpublished documents and letters relating to the matter. Full story ...
THE Star: New govt approach said to curb graft
9th October 2009
 PETALING JAYA: The Govern-ment’s serious approach in getting to the bottom of the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) controversy sets a precedent for others not to make the same mistakes again in future projects, said investigative journalist R. Nadeswaran.
Nadeswaran, author of Some Untold Stories which will go on sale next Thursday, said the Government’s adamant manner would cause others to think twice before “putting their hands in the cookie jar.”
Time for change: R. Nadeswaran hopes that the stern approach in pursuing the PKFZ issue would be a new culture for the Government.
“We are seeing a change in which the Government is seriously going after perpetrators who have dug their hands in taxpayers’ money.
“Although getting the money back is highly unlikely, we have gained an expensive lesson. Such mistakes should never be repeated,” he said in an interview at Menara Star here yesterday. Full story...
THE SUN: Citizen Nades' untold stories
8th October 2009
PETALING JAYA (Oct 8, 2009): Pursuing stories that bring fear to people in power is veteran journalist R. Nadeswaran's cup of tea.
 Nadeswaran with his new book..
Countless times, the 58-year-old – better known as Citizen Nades – has exposed corruption and malpractice among government officials.
Now, he has turned one of his many scoops into a book, Some Untold Stories, on the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal that startled the nation.
The PKFZ project was mooted in 1999 to attract foreign investment and promote Malaysia’s main ports. Its original budget was RM2 billion, but by this year it had exceeded RM12 billion.
Nadeswaran, who is editor of special reports and investigations at theSun, was the first to highlight the financial problems and other issues that plagued the PKFZ project.
"This is a book of records to show what went wrong and why we are in this kind of mess," said Nadeswaran, who has won four international SOPA (The Society Of Publishers in Asia) awards and three MPI (Malaysian Press Institute) awards in his 40-year journalism career.
"This is the first time in the history of this country the government really wants to get to the bottom of the issue.
"Such action will encourage others, especially those in power, to carry out their jobs with integrity.
"The outcome of this investigation and what action the government will take is secondary as far as the book is concerned."
Nadeswaran believes, at the end of it all, the book will hopefully deter people in power from dipping their hands into the cookie jar. Full story...
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