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Well-known for his pantun dua kerat or couplets and peribahasa or proverbs that would end every report he handled with much professionalism and courtesy, Karam Singh Walia succumbed to liver cancer in the early hours of 6 April 2026. Karam Singh Walia served TV3, Malaysia’s private local television station, from 1995, before retiring in 2014. Karam Singh Walia certainly set the benchmark for television journalism and reporting very few can match. Just his presence on the television screen alone would have surely impacted your lives. You know you're in for something watchable, even if it's just news on the environment, which many take for granted. 

His passing was announced and confirmed by his younger brother Jasbant Singh, who is also group managing editor of News and Current Affairs at Media Prima Berhad, the group behind TV3.

Karam Singh’s approach was one-of-a-kind in exposing environmental issues plaguing Malaysia, widely known for its tropical rainforests, waterfalls, beaches, and hiking trails. He was fearless, authoritative, firm, yet witty, and sharp, helped by his fluency in the Malay Language, since reporting was consistently in that particular language. Regardless of age, you’d want to watch his reporting on pollution, safety issues, and environmental sustainability, especially because they were broken down into easily digestible parts. There’s definitely something to keep you glued to his segment/portion.

Perhaps, his character is built by what he went through before becoming a journalist. His perspective more solid than many in the same field, driven by the fact that he had worked at a factory, as a secondary school teacher, and an academic. He had been a hockey coach for a certain Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) in the early ‘90s When you’ve experienced life as an ordinary folk, usually your outlook would be more wholesome and you’d lean towards being more down-to-earth. In fact, Karam Singh himself once revealed that he joined the world of journalism to offer his stance and different angles to help transform the lives of the rakyat instead of merely chasing popularity.

The younger generation won’t understand the analogue way of consuming news on the television, as it was determined by channels instead of apps. While there are still remote controls, they have been made simpler to accommodate the streaming way of consuming content. So, unless you’ve worked with Karam Singh Walia or are a millennial parent who’d do your job by explaining to your child who he is, chances are the younger generation will be clueless about this veteran journalist.

In 2024, the political secretary to Malaysia’s current prime minister extended help to lighten the burden, in particular, in paying off some of his medical bills. Many were hoping that Karam Singh Walia, the one with a distinctive voice, would recover and regain his health. However, today, many of us woke up to the unfortunate piece of news on his passing.

If anything, Karam Singh was one of those figures who inspired me to be in the media industry.

Karam Singh Walia was born into a Punjabi family, who had joined the police force of Perak, being born in Teluk Intan. From 2004 to 2007 Karam Singh Walia won the Best Environmental Journalist Award, under the watch of the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI).

Karam Singh Walia telahpun pergi meninggalkan legasi

Suaranya yang tegas tetap di hati

Profesionalismenya sukar ditandingi

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