Remembered for courage, drive in his endeavours
THE late Datuk Karam Singh Walia was not just a veteran broadcast journalist but a respected sports educator, too.
Selangor women hockey head coach Ikmal Abdul Jabar remembered him for helping the SK Serdang hockey team emerge as national school sports council (MSSM) champions in 1994 in Kelantan and third in Negri Sembilan in 1995.
“He was very firm and bold, and always wanted to win.
“He taught us to be strong and brave,” Ikmal told Bernama after paying his last respects to Karam who passed away aged 67 at his home in Taman Sri Andalas, Klang, on April 6.
Karam was hockey coach at SK Serdang in 1994 and 1995.
Ikmal, who has been coaching the Selangor women’s team since 2017, said the values of leadership and discipline that Karam instilled continue to guide his career.
Born in 1959 in Teluk Intan, Perak, to a policeman father, Karam began his career as a broadcast journalist with TV3 in 1995 before retiring in 2014 due to health problems.
He was widely regarded as one of the country’s most influential environmental journalists, winning the Seri Angkasa Award twice as well as the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) Award for Best Environmental Television Journalist consecutively from 2004 to 2007.
National Unity Deputy Minister R. Yuneswaran described Karam as not just a news presenter, but a figure close to the hearts of the community due to his unique presentation style.
“Every report was not just a news report but had profound impact,” he said.
