By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, May 3: Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg expressed his deepest condolences to the family of veteran journalist James Alexander Ritchie, who passed away here this morning.
In a Facebook post, the Premier said that as a longstanding media figure in Sarawak with his well-articulated writings, Ritchie’s passing is a loss to Sarawak’s media fraternity and development landscape.
He added that as an acclaimed author with many books on indigenous life and culture and topics of historical value to his name, Ritchie’s demise would leave behind a legacy of storytelling in Sarawak’s literary space.
Ritchie passed away at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) at the age of 75.
He was widely respected for his decades-long contributions to journalism in Sarawak and Malaysia, with a career that spanned over 50 years in various media organisations.
Ritchie was known for his extensive writings on Sarawak’s indigenous communities, history, and culture. His works include several books and articles that shed light on Bornean heritage and the stories of its people.
He was also a recipient of the National Journalists’ Day (Hawana) 2024 Award last year.
Over the years, he has also earned several other notable accolades, including the prestigious Ang Lai Soon Gold Award, the Shell Kenyalang Gold Award, Special Jury Award at the annual Malaysia Press Institute (MPI) Petronas Malaysian Journalism Awards 2023, the ‘Tokoh Wartawan’ title at the Kenyalang Journalism Award 2020, and the AZAM Press Award. — DayakDaily
