A Lesson To Be Learnt - the Mogadishu Experience

I had to take time to let it all sink in.

It was indeed shocking to hear that a member of the local media fraternity was killed in the line of duty while covering a humanitarian mission to Somalia.

As a newsman, I wanted to gather as much information as possible before putting my thoughts on this blog. There were in fact no immediate updates from the other local newsmen on the mission; probably because they were traumatized by the happening there.

I had thought the Bernama TV reporter could have at least do an immediate phone-in with updates on a periodic basis, as their cameraman Allahyarham Noramfaizul Mohd Nor was the one killed there. Also, another cameraman Aji Siregar of TV3 was injured at the same time.

But Bernama TV gave us repeats of the old news that night (was no one on standby to do “live” updates, I wonder) while the first “live” update was at 9am the next morning. That, to me, was a disappointment.

I don’t know Allahyarham Noramfaizul personally. I only know him by name but news of his death tugged the heart. It was gut wrenching to see on television the day after of the interview with his family members especially his mother.

As a senior executive of a newspaper company, I sometimes had to decide on the reporters to send out on overseas assignments but none were to countries still at war.  Some countries were however recovering from the ravages of war or conflicts like Egypt or returning to normalcy after natural calamities such as Padang in Sumatera and Japan.

Most times when we have assigned our reporters, they are briefed on what kind of stories we expect from them when they are on assignments. Some of us take for granted that the reporters know what to do in times of emergency.

Having traveled to some 90 cities in 35 countries in the span of 25 years, I can tell you that no one country is the same. Even if you were visiting the same country again and again, the environment in that particular country also differs each time.

You have to be alert at all times, keep a level head and be quick in making a decision, as that split second moment can actually save you from any eventualities.

And the most important thing is that you have to listen. The ambassadors/high commissioners and/or their officials know best the situation in the country they are servicing and it is best to adhere to their advice.

In several countries I’ve been, my colleagues and I were advised against going out on our own even in groups if we didn’t have locals or armed bodyguards with us.

In one country, we had to walk through concrete barricades, ones which can only be moved by heavy industrial vehicles such as tractors, and truckloads of armed soldiers manning strategic points in the city.

In another city, even taxis were not allowed to drop guests at the lobby of hotels. Guests had to go through metal detectors when they enter the hotels. You also have to go through these metal detectors when you go into the shopping complexes.

In two Asean countries, we saw the locals walking around with pistols on their hips.

You certainly have to be street smart even when you’re in a first world country like the US for example. You’re out of your mind if you go to Central Park in New York at night, as you would only be courting trouble (even then, a colleague of mine got mugged in broad daylight just as he stepped out of the hotel he was staying at in the city!)

I survived living in New York for close to four months when I did my fellowship at the United Nations because I took the necessary precautionary measures (not staying out too late at night or if I had to, I made sure I had other fellows with me) to stay safe.

Only once I felt threatened when I was there. I was walking back to the hotel from the UN, which was about 20 blocks from each other, when I felt as if someone was following me. I walked the next two blocks to make sure and I hailed a yellow cab at the next block just to be on the safe side. From then on, I made sure I had company when walking to the UN or back to the hotel.

But Noramfaizul’s death reminded me of a colleague who now heads one of the publications in the company. We had just started working then and had gone out on an assignment together.

We were about to cross the busy street at Bukit Bintang when he insisted on holding my hands. I asked him why. “When we go on assignments together, we have to watch out for each other. If anything happens to you, I wouldn’t know what to tell your parents,” he said.

Rightly so. If anything happens to my reporters, I wouldn’t know what to tell their next of kin, especially if safety or security requirements were not met.

It would be gross negligence on my part of I had failed to ensure that the reporters I had assigned out to conflict stricken countries are not equipped with the necessary equipment besides their pens, notebooks, tape or video recorders and cameras.

If anything, the Mogadishu experience should be a lesson well learnt on the importance of keeping safe and meeting all the safety requirements.

Indeed, ajal dan maut ditentukan Allah SWT tetapi tidak akan ada rasa terkilan di hati jika terjadinya sesuatu kejadian sekira usaha telah dibuat untuk mengelakkannya dari berlaku. Wallahualam.