Malaysian veteran photographer and her son share work and family ties at The Star

Azlina (left) and Muhammad Musraf looking through an old newspaper cutting featuring one of her photographs. Photo: The Star/P. Nathan

For Azlina Abdullah, 52, and Muhammad Musraf Mohd Rosli, 26, family and work go hand in hand. The mother and son from Sg Buloh, Selangor, are among the few parent-child pairs employed at The Star.

Azlina has been a photographer with the newspaper’s content department since 1995, while Muhammad Musraf has worked as an engineering technician with the company’s building property services (BPS) department since 2023.

Azlina (fifth from left) has spent over three decades documenting news across Malaysia and abroad. Photo: Filepic

Despite their different roles and responsibilities, the two often cross paths during workdays at Menara Star in Section 16, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

For Muhammad Musraf, working in the same organisation as his mother was never something he had envisioned. He holds a diploma in mechanical engineering and machining technology from Institut Kemahiran Mara in Pagoh, Johor.

During the pandemic, he faced uncertainty in finding stable employment, which led him to start a small business with friends near their home at Taman Saujana Utama.

Azlina perched on a ladder while covering a high profile court case in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Filepic

“I had always thought I would continue my studies and complete my degree to become a mechanical engineer,” he says.

“But things didn’t go as planned during Covid-19. I struggled to find a job after graduation, and eventually ended up running a burger stall. I think Mama was a little worried about my future,” he shares.

It was during this period that an opportunity at The Star opened up. Azlina encouraged him to apply for a technician role in the BPS department.

“When Mama found out there was an opening, she told me to give it a try,” he recalls. “Honestly, I didn’t think I would get the job, but thankfully I did.”

For Azlina, having her eldest son in the same organisation is a source of comfort and pride. After more than three decades with the company, she regards it as a stable workplace where colleagues form one close-knit community.

“I’ve been with the company for 31 years, and it has always been a place where everyone supports each other,” she says. “And as a parent, of course I want my son to have a secure job in a place that can help him chart his future.”

Under one roof

Azlina, who holds a diploma in photography from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam, was born and raised in Kuantan.

She is also the company’s first Malay female photographer, having entered a field that was, in the 1990s, still largely dominated by men.

Azlina photographing proceedings during a court assignment. Photo: Filepic

After graduating in 1994, she began her career at a women’s magazine, Perempuan, before joining The Star. At the time, she was stepping into unfamiliar territory.

“Initially, I felt challenged and nervous joining an all-male photography department,” she recalls. “But I was very lucky because my colleagues were kind. They treated me with respect and were very helpful. The seniors were like my ‘tai kors’ (older brothers).”

She was affectionately nicknamed “Nyonya” by her colleagues, being the only Malay female photographer in the team then. In the last three decades, the department has employed many female photographers of different races.

Over the years, Azlina has covered a wide range of assignments, from news and features to education and business. Her work has taken her into jungles, crime scenes and morgues – often under demanding conditions that required both resilience and composure.

Among her most notable assignments were documenting the 2006 murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu and covering the late Michael Jackson when the superstar came to Malaysia for his HIStory World Tour in 1996.

One of Azlina’s career highlights was covering Michael Jackson’s HIStory World Tour concert in Kuala Lumpur in 1996.

Azlina also travelled to Surabaya, Indonesia, to cover the crash of Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 in 2014 which took 162 lives. In the same year, she went to Medan to cover the Indonesian presidential elections.

She also covered the 2017 assassination of Kim Jong-Nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang.

“Each assignment has its own memories – good and bad. It has shaped my understanding of storytelling through photography,” says the mother of four.

Despite the intensity of her work, Azlina maintains that her experience has been rewarding, particularly because of the people she has worked with over the years.

Azlina interacting with an Orang Asli community, an experience that allowed her to learn more about different cultures throughout her career.

Ties that bind

Although both of them live under the same roof, they often head to work separately due to Azlina’s irregular schedule, which depends on assignments and newsroom demands.

However, when she is in the office, their paths often cross in simple but meaningful ways.

“When I’m around, he’ll drop by my desk to check on me,” she says. “He always makes sure I’ve eaten my lunch or dinner. If I haven’t, he’ll go out and get food for me. I’m blessed.”

Muhammad Musraf (left) with his sibiings Mursyid (centre) and Mustaqim featured in a write-up in The Star.

For Muhammad Musraf, these everyday moments have deepened his appreciation of his mother’s work and sacrifices.

Growing up, he often saw Azlina rushing off to assignments, sometimes working late nights or travelling outstation.

At the time, he admits he did not fully understand the demands of her job.

But today, his perspective has changed.

“I have immense respect for Mama,” he says. “Seeing how she’s covered so many different types of assignments and being The Star’s first Malay female photographer, I think Mama has done a really good job in her career as well as in raising my siblings and me,” says Muhammad Musraf, who, as a child, was occasionally roped in as a “model” to pose for photographs for the newspaper.

Muhammad Musraf carrying out maintenance work as part of his duties with the Building Property Services department at The Star.

He adds that working in the same organisation has strengthened their relationship in ways he never expected.

“I’m happy to be in this organisation, and working with Mama has brought us closer. Even simple things like having meals together at work are meaningful. It’s something I might never have experienced if I had worked elsewhere.”