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Journalists from The Star feature prominently among the new team helming the National Press Club (NPC).

M. Veera Pandiyan, the Deputy News Editor at The Star who wrote a nice piece ridiculing blogger-haters recently, was elected unopposed as the deputy president, and Joe Fernando, also of the English daily, was elected unopposed as the vice president.

They will be the co-pilots to Mokhtar Hussain, who was elected unopposed as president last Friday (March 30), taking over from outgoing president Rocky (Ahiruddin Atan), who did not seek re-election..

Mokhtar, an editor with the National News Agency, Bernama, was the deputy president of the Press Club.

Other office-bearers:
- Secretary: Jugjet Singh (The New Straits Times)
- Assistant Secretary: Jane Ritikos (The Star) .
- Treasurer: S.P.Manivasagam (Movie News)
- Assistant Treasurer: Lum Chih Seng (Oriental Daily News)

The eight elected committee members are: Jairajo Letchumanan (Bernama), Krishna Rao (Malaysian Progress), Sharmini Darshni (The NST), Antea De Lima (Mediate Publications), Farrah Naz Karim (The NST), P.Ananthan (Bernama), Ghazemy Mahmud (Asian Defence Journal) and B. Kaderes (Malaysian Nanban).

Rocky has been made the advisor to the Press Club after a proposal from the floor was accepted by the members.

Meanwhile, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is currently drawing up activities for the observation of the World Press Freedom Day, a UN-sanctioned global event, on May 3. The planning committee is headed by journalists from The Star.

Malaysia is touching 50 years of age, yet foreign correspondents in this country are in a disarray. When can they sip champagne at a club of their own?

In the region, the Foreign Correspondents Association of Singapore, the Foreign Correspondents' Club Hong Kong, and the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand have been holding fort and organised various activities that signify their professional presence in the respective countries.

Lately, we have heard the community of foreign correspondents in Indonesia is in shambles. That will certainly give room to parachuting journalists who will shoot and run whenver news break.