KUALA LUMPUR – Petra News executive director Datuk Ahirudin Attan was re-elected National Press Club (NPC) president unopposed at its annual general meeting last night.
This is his second term, having won his first in March 2019.
After the vote last night, Ahirudin – popularly known as Rocky, after his blog Rocky’s Bru – said: “2020 was a trying year.
“But, we still managed to contribute some RM168,500 worth of financial aid and medical support to 138 members, media personnel, veteran and retired journalists, as well as their next of kin.
“Our priority this year is to revive the NPC Press Awards to recognise the sacrifices, dedication and hard work of newsmen during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Ahirudin, who is also executive adviser to the Petra Group chairman, began his journalism career in 1985 with The Star before moving to The New Straits Times Press, where he served as Business Times editor, and later, Malay Mail executive editor.
He was briefly an adviser to The Malaysian Reserve, and in 2011, he established blog-news portal The Mole.
Meanwhile, former Malay Mail executive editor Haresh Deol, who now runs current affairs portal TwentyTwo13, has been re-elected deputy president.
Below are the others completing the NPC leadership’s 2021-23 line-up:
Vice-president: Murhayani Othman
Honorary secretary: Zaidi Azmi
Assistant secretary: Ismail Rashid
Treasurer: K. Sivanesan
Assistant treasurer: L. Jaiarajoo
Committee members: Pearl Lee, Zaharin Mat Noor, S.P. Mani, Farrah Naz Karim, Sharanjit Singh, T. Ananthan, Tony Mariadass, Joseph Fernando
Internal auditors: Veera Pandiyan, Graig Nunis
Trustees: Datuk Yong Soo Heong, Datuk Nuraina Abdul Samad, Tony Emmanuel
Adviser: Datuk Mokhtar Hussian
NPC is Malaysia’s oldest journalism institution, standing at the forefront of championing media rights and journalists’ welfare. – The Vibes, March 25, 2021
