KUCHING: His deep commitment to the task as well as always striving to produce the best work are among Openg Onn Net’s traits that should be emulated by the current generation of journalists, said veteran journalist Dr Jeniri Amir.
Jeniri, who is also a senior fellow at the National Council of Professors, said the establishment of Bernama Radio, previously known as Radio24, was the biggest legacy left by Openg, 62, who died last night after suffering from cancer which was diagnosed in February.
“Four or five days ago, he (Openg) texted me (on WhatsApp) to tell me that he was about to undergo surgery, with the risk (of the surgery) was pretty high. For the last four months, I think he was really suffering (from the sickness),” he told Bernama here.
According to Jeniri, he has known Openg since 1982 after graduating from the university and the two of them shared an interest in literature and Openg also showcased his talents in theatre.
“We are also interested in writing books and I encouraged him to write a book to document his experience while he was in Indonesia and he did it,” said Jeniri referring to Openg’s book entitled “Indonesia Dari Sebuah Jendela: Catatan Seorang Wartawan”.
Meanwhile, former Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Azman Ujang viewed Openg’s services and devotion to Bernama as invaluable, besides always showing excellent work performance, apart from his humble and sincere personality.
“To me, the highlight of his service as a journalist at Bernama was during his six years in Jakarta as a Bernama correspondent in Indonesia in the early 2000s,” said Azman, who expressed his sadness after receiving news of Openg’s passing late last night.
According to him, Openg did his job brilliantly in reporting the unrest in the big country which was, among others, hit by the political crisis and the frequency of leadership changes at the presidential level, before publishing his book “Indonesia Dari Sebuah Jendela: Catatan Seorang Wartawan”.
“As I wrote in the book’s foreword, “this is not an easy thing, but an extraordinary accomplishment”,” he said of the 600-page book documenting important events and Openg’s experience as a journalist in Indonesia.
Azman added that Bernama Radio, which is now 14 years old, also started with Openg mooted the idea to the management of Bernama who took Radio Elshinta in Indonesia as a model and this success became another project that clearly demonstrated Openg’s commitment. – Bernama
