When My Best Friend Retires

Come Aug 25, Mafuzah Ahmad retires after 29 years in Bernama. Despite the retirement age being extended to 58, Mafuz, as she is affectionately called, says she has had enough after giving her all to this organisation.

Call it job burnout or stress, she is one dedicated worker. As Bernama.com editor, Mafuz used to spend hours in the office, and while her colleagues would have already had their dinner, and watching tv with their family, she would still be glued to her office computer.

Mind you, Mafuz used to clock out at midnight, almost every working day. What a life!

In fact, we used to poke fun at each other for staying single till today. “How do you expect Mr Right to come your way when you spend half of the time in office?” But thanks to people like Mafuz, Bernama.com is what it is today.

Today, Bernama.com, the official website of Bernama, can boast of some 40 million hits a day, with clients like Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Boeing, Takaful and Westports to name a few.

But my best friend won’t be totally out of circulation after she retires. She will still serve Bernama as a part-time caption writer in the photo unit while focusing on her spa and aromatherapy business.

I have known her since UiTM days. She majored in PR while I was in advertising. After graduating mid-1977, we both joined TV1 as a part-time/full time reporter.

It was tough for me as I had to make ends meet, having to pay rent and my own bills with only RM400 a month, while Mafuz was lucky as she was staying with her parents.

After one and a half years in RTM, we applied for a full-time job in Bernama. She got the offer in May, while I followed suit a month later.

Throughout all these years in Bernama, she has been one great friend, and the greatest friend ever. She was always there when I was down and out.

There were times she didn’t have to offer any solution to your woes, but the fact that she was there to listen to your problems was the best medicine ever. Most of the time, it was more of affairs of the heart. You can tell her anything, and she would not be shocked.

For you dear Mafuz, I dedicate some of these quotes to you:

“A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him, I may think aloud.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Your friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you."

- Elbert Hubard

“The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.”

– Unknown