I'll miss you, Emperor Nasi Goreng

I’ll miss Dean Johns of malaysiakini when he leaves us next month.

malaysiakini tells us Dean works in the ad-industry, and of course is a communication consultant. He also serves as a journalist and lecturer in KL. He’s not quite the foreigner he claims to be as he’s married to a Malaysia born lady with parents in Ipoh. Both share the joys of a daughter.

I have enjoyed Dean’s articles where his brilliant tongue-in-cheek play with words – eg. asing around and dermo-cracy - have not only elicited more than a few chuckles from me but provided piercing journalistic information.

I came to realize, regrettably too late, that he was conducting lessons on how to write. What a teacher he would have been for me. Hmmm, maybe he ought to think of a long distance course … er … at affordable Malaysian fee of course ;-) - ya, mate, it's almost 3 to 1 now.

I wonder whether his departure could be related to his articles a la ‘without fear or favour’ where he had ‘hamm-tam’ the bad governance in our country. I can only hope not and that it has been influenced by his wish to either seek new pastures or for family requirements.

I wish he continues to write for malaysiakini as an overseas correspondent, and bid him and his family a bon voyage and every prosperity for the future. Yes, I’ll miss him too.

Dean will understand what I mean when I pay him the greatest Australian ad compliment – mate, your writings are even better than Emperor Nasi Goreng ;-).