10 things you didn't know about... KARAM SINGH WALIA

Environment journalist Karam Singh Walia tells RACHAEL PHILIP why he ends all his reports with a peribahasa.

IF Michael Chong is seen as a saviour of sorts to battered wives and loan shark victims, then journalist Karam Singh Walia is nature's knight.

Known to have made cabinet ministers squirm in their seats with his intense grilling on environmental issues, 46-year-old Karam is often seen on TV3’s Buletin Utama atop a hill, down a drain or in a back alley of some dubious factory in full gear – vest, gloves, hard hat, boots and a see-through plastic bottle for an instant albeit elementary water clarity test.

Besides the eccentric hand gesture punctuating every sentence, this dedicated journalist ends every news report with a suitable peribahasa or bidalan (Malay expression).

1 Is he single-handedly trying to popularise Malay adages and proverbs? “No, it is a way to catch people’s attention. Sometimes I use bahasa kiasan (decorative language) as a way to make a point without hurting people’s feelings. That’s Malay culture actually. Some people take the trouble to e-mail or SMS me if they do not understand the saying. I, of course, oblige them. It goes to show that people are curious. Most of us don’t use or even hear these expressions once we leave school.”

2 He carries a photocopy of a book listing some 4,300 Malay sayings with him everywhere he goes. He found this copy by chance, when his neighbour’s dustbin was knocked over by a stray hockey ball. The book never meant much to him until some 10 years later when he joined TV3. “Recently, a local publishing company sent me two of their newly-launched books, one entitled Kamus Peribahasa Kontemporari, the other on pantun and gurindam. It’s smaller and easier to carry around but I still prefer the old book.”

3 His favourite saying is “Terbakar kampung nampak asap, terbakar hati siapa yang tahu”. “Our former prime minister used it as a warning to grassroots leaders. He advised them to go down and serve the people, they may be smiling and all but you can never know their true feelings or how they would vote, for that matter.” Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad, apparently mentioned “wartawan Singh dari TV3” during that speech.

4 Prior to being a TV news journalist, Karam was a secondary school teacher. His first degree from Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM) is in teaching English as a second language. Besides English, he also taught physical education. Subsequently he gained a master’s in TV journalism from the University of London.

5 Until 10 years ago, Karam rode a motorcycle to work. It was the only mode of transportation for his family of five. Often he had to make two trips to transport his family, sometimes ferrying two children at a time – one behind him, one in the front basket. His reason? “Getting my house paid for in full was my first priority.”

6 Being a good hockey player, Karam volunteered to coach hockey to schoolchildren during his four years at (UPM). He went to the nearest school in Serdang and asked the headmaster if he could train the boys. “Within a year, we had a championship team. And we won the national championship three years in a row.” From this team of humble beginnings, six national players were born, including Maninderjit Singh, Abdul Rahman, Saiful and Madzlee.

7 These days Karam’s hockey stick hardly sees the light of day. He is too busy with work. A passionate environmentalist, he pursues every case of environment degradation with such zeal; receiving threats and even risking his life is a norm. He recalls being chased by parang-wielding illegal farmers from Cameron Highlands once. “Some even offered me cars and RM150,000 in cash to buy me off. I have never seen so much money in my life. It shakes you to your foundation, your belief in what’s right.” The temptation was strong but Karam knew he would never be able to look his children in the eye if he gave in.

8 His most embarrassing situation while on air turned out to be a personal ‘expose’. His pants tore at the back while he was climbing up a steep slope to get a bird’s eye view of illegal logging activities. Luckily the cameraman at that time was the only witness, so Karam was “safe”.

9 If there is one thing he absolutely cannot tolerate, it is litterbugs. “Once, a man threw a soft drink can out of his car window. I chased him and made him turn around to pick up his rubbish.” Karam and his family also avoid carrying plastic carrier bags as much as they can.

10 On a larger scale, he has a bone to pick with some government departments and state governments. He wishes that they would be more transparent and accountable when planning development, especially in sensitive areas. “This really angers me – people with a string of degrees and titles to their names but when planning for development, they do not look at the bigger picture, on a macro level.” What would he do, if he were in their seats?

“If I were the Environment Minister, some people would have hell to pay. I am not saying that I will stop all development projects. I will instead encourage responsible development and environmental governance. We have all the necessary laws but what’s sad is the attitude of the people entrusted to enforce them. Look at yourself in the mirror, “tepuk dada tanya selera”.

Taken from http://www.reach.org.my/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=364&Itemid=68