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Posthumous Honour for Late Rozaid Abdul Rahman on National Journalists' Day

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Rozaid Abdul Rahman, the former Director of Media and Strategic Communications at the Prime Minister's Office, was posthumously awarded the National Journalists' Day (HAWANA) 2025 Special Award. The award was presented by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to Rozaid's eldest son, Roz Ariffin, in a ceremony attended by Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil and 1,000 guests. Rozaid, a renowned journalist with over four decades of experience, was remembered for his influence in the country's journalism world and his contributions to shaping Malaysia's media landscape.

Key Takeaways:

  • Rozaid Abdul Rahman was posthumously awarded the National Journalists' Day (HAWANA) 2025 Special Award for his contributions to the country's journalism world.
  • Rozaid had over four decades of experience in the media industry, starting as a cadet journalist at Utusan Melayu newspaper on April 21, 1984.
  • He was appointed as the youngest individual to be appointed news editor of the Utusan Group at the age of 27 and was the first Malaysian journalist to set foot in the tunnel of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) in December 1989.
  • Rozaid won a prestigious scholarship from the British High Commission in Malaysia to attend a journalism fellowship programme at Wolfson College, United Kingdom, in 1992.
  • He was named the recipient of the Penang Eminent Journalist award by the state government in 1994 and received the Asia Digital Media Award in 2015.
  • Rozaid was appointed as Director of Media and Strategic Communications at the Prime Minister's Office on May 23, 2023, and died on August 18 last year due to a heart attack.
  • May 29 was gazetted as National Journalists' Day to commemorate the publication of the first edition of Utusan Melayu on May 29, 1939.
  • HAWANA 2025, themed 'Journalism in the New Era: Embracing AI, Safeguarding Ethics', was attended by about 1,000 guests comprising local and international media practitioners.

Statistics:

  • Rozaid had over 40 years of experience in the media industry.
  • He was appointed as Director of Media and Strategic Communications at the Prime Minister's Office on May 23, 2023.
  • The first edition of Utusan Melayu was published on May 29, 1939.
  • HAWANA 2025 was attended by about 1,000 guests comprising local and international media practitioners.
  • May 29 was gazetted as National Journalists' Day to commemorate the publication of the first edition of Utusan Melayu.

Sources:

  • BERNAMA News Agency (14 Jun 2025)
  • The Star (original article not provided, but mentioned as a source of Rozaid's experience)

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