The life and times of Malaysia’s Rehman Rashid (original) (raw)

Rehman Rashid, one of Malaysia’s foremost writers, raconteurs, travellers and naturalists is no more.

He passed away at the age of 61, having suffered a heart attack earlier this year.

To me, Rehman was more than just a journalist. He was a storyteller and passionate advocate for media freedom.

He was also a brutally frank figure, who never flinched – even when it came to recounting his own failures.

Coming from a country where the dominant narrative since Independence – nearly 60 years ago – has been overwhelmingly Malay, Muslim and aristocratic, his approach; multi-racial, multi-religious and ground-up was a breath of fresh air.

But then again, Rehman was always different.