James Ritchie ‘a towering figure in Malaysian journalism', says fellow veteran newsman
KUCHING (May 3): Veteran newsman Joseph Joswan Bingkasan has hailed the late James Ritchie as 'a towering figure in Malaysian journalism, and a personal mentor'.
Expressing deep sadness in hearing about Ritchie's passing on Saturday, Joseph said their close friendship was forged during their time with the New Straits Times (NST).
Joseph recalled that when Ritchie left NST, he was posted to Kuching after returning from a stint at the NST London bureau, taking up the role of news editor in December 1999.
'We were both staff correspondents for the NST, in which he was in Sarawak, and myself in Sabah.
'My first day in Kuching, he brought me to Sarawak Golf Club, and we spent the rest of the day visiting his friends.
'I lost a journalist 'big brother',' said Joseph, 70, when contacted by The Borneo Post today.
The Sabahan newsman also revealed that Ritchie was still actively writing up until the morning of his death, as the two had been collaborating on a series of articles for Joseph's online portal, talantang.com, on Ritchie's family history from Europe to Sarawak.
Joseph also said they had been planning to co-author a biography of a Sabah politician.
'He started writing at 1.55am yesterday (Saturday, May 3), and his last message to me came in at 9.41am.
'I was waiting for him to continue the article; instead, I received news of his passing from a journalist friend in Kuching.
'We were also working on a biography of a Sabah politician.
'After his death, that project can no longer continue.'
Joseph regarded Ritchie's body of work, particularly his more than 40 books on Sarawak's indigenous culture and history, as 'his greatest contribution to journalism'.
'He proved journalism to be more than just about reporting news. For him, it's also about documenting stories for future generations.'
Joseph, in his personal view, believed that Ritchie's contributions merited recognition at the national level, noting that he had yet to be conferred a Datukship.
Additionally, Joseph noted that another friend of Ritchie, Kota Kinabalu-based writer John Toft, passed away on the same day.
'Both were 'Mat Salleh' (of European or Eurasian descent), and both left behind their own legacy in writing,' said Joseph, a former NST Sabah and Sarawak editorial head.
Ritchie, 75, passed away in Kuching on Saturday, at age 75.
The funeral service will take place at the St Thomas' Cathedral here this Tuesday, followed by cremation at Nirvana Memorial Park. condolences James Ritchie Joseph Joswan Bingkasan lead media fraternity
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