Yesterday, veteran journalist Said Zahari passed away at the age of 88. Well known for his coverage of the Baling Talks, he rose to the leadership of the leading Malay nationalist newspaper Utusan Melayu. It was the strike against UMNO's takeover of Utusan in 1961 and conflict with then Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman which led to him returning to Singapore. After his election to the chairmanship of Parti Rakyat Singapura, he was arrested by Lee Kuan Yew's government and held for about 17 years without trial. His memoirs - “Dark Clouds at Dawn” and “The Long Nightmare” - are a document of that time. Today we ask how we might put Said in historical context.

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Tags:  said zahari,  Operation Cold Store,  Singapore,  Parti Rakyat Singapura,  Utusan Melayu,  Utusan Malaysia,  Lee Kuan Yew,  detention without trail,  strike,  media freedom