KUALA LUMPUR: Popular Radio Televisyen Malaysia newscaster in the 1980s and 1990s, Farit Ismeth Emir, succumbed to cancer at about 11 am today at the Assunta Hospital in Petaling Jaya. He was 66.
Fellow newsreader Hazlinda Hamzah, who had worked with him for more than 13 years, remembers him as a friend who never said ‘no’ to another in times of need.
“Behind his serious demeanour, Farit actually was always friendly and down to earth…I will always remember his kindness,” said Hazlinda, who is currently a BernamaTV executive producer.
She pointed out that those who have watched RTM’s TV1 and TV2 in the 1980s would recall the cigarette advertisement where Farit lent his ‘golden voice’ and accent for the famous ‘Gaya, Mutu dan Keunggulan’ tagline.
Hazlinda, who read the news with Farit in the ‘Berita Perdana’ and ‘Berita Dunia Jam 10’ programmes said another hard-to-miss feature of Farit was his towering figure of six-feet, which made it a little uncomfortable for him to sit on the set.
“This caused him to shake his legs while waiting for our turn to read, but he made sure it did not bother the other readers.
“I accepted the fact and felt a little sorry for him too, as his sitting position was a little awkward due to his height and long legs,” she said.
Hazlinda said she got to know Farit when both of them were chosen in an open audition held at RTM in 1987.
“But I knew his family from a very young age, when my family was residing in Singapore. I had met his late father when I was a young girl.
“I often got paired with Allahyarham (Farit) throughout my journey as a newscaster at RTM, especially for Berita Dunia Jam 10,” she said, adding that Farit was easygoing, simple and generous, with his favourite quote being, ‘don’t judge my choices without understanding my reasons’.
Meanwhile, Farit’s uncle and former Asean Chamber of Commerce president Datuk Moehamad Izat Emir, 81, described the former as a jokester who always made family members and friends laugh.
“On television, we see him as a serious man, but the fact is he always made people laugh, and we would never know if he had any problem, as he never showed it.
“I was shocked, in fact, to find out that he had cancer just two weeks ago. It is a huge loss to the family,” he said when contacted by Bernama.
Farit leaves behind seven children. The funeral prayer will be held at the Section 3 Mosque in Petaling Jaya this afternoon. – Bernama
