A New Friend Who Feels Like an Old One

Reflections on the Sarawak Media Conference 2025

At a table full of distinguished guests, it’s customary to circulate conversations politely – share a toast, respond with warmth, keep the tone light.

But occasionally, someone sits down beside you, and the polite surface starts to ripple.

That’s what happened to me on the opening night of the Sarawak Media Conference.

I was seated next to Madam Malia Taibi, and within minutes – after the initial courtesies and exchanges – we found ourselves in a different kind of conversation. Not the kind reserved for networking dinners, but something deeper, more absorbing. It was as though the two of us had simply picked up a conversation we’d started long ago. Though we had never met, it didn’t feel that way at all.

A former journalist, Madam Malia is a widely respected scholar, educator, and translator in Sarawak. A familiar name in Malaysia’s publishing and academic circles. Over the course of the week, I saw students and junior colleagues approach her with the kind of deference and affection that speaks of real mentorship. She greeted them all with grace – generous, grounded, and utterly at ease.

What struck me most, though, was how similar our thinking was.

Here we were – two women working in different languages, different countries, different educational and media ecosystems – and yet our views on translation, publishing, and the future of our fields echoed one another again and again. We spoke of how we teach, what worries us about the digital shifts, what gives us hope. We swapped thoughts about new models, shared quiet frustrations, laughed over familiar predicaments.

An hour passed. The buzz of the welcome dinner faded into the background. I forgot the pacing of the conference. For that short stretch of time, I felt the strange, settling ease of kindred company.

We parted a few days later, at the end of the conference, with a warm hug – spontaneous, heartfelt – and a promise to stay in touch. I hope to keep that promise well. Today, I’ll be meeting with colleagues in Singapore, and you can be sure I’ll be telling them about Madam Malia – about her wisdom, her students’ deep respect for her, and how much we in Singapore could benefit from hearing her voice.

Though I had many photos taken with other guests and attendees during the conference, I somehow failed to get a picture with Madam Malia. It seems our interaction wasn’t the kind meant for the cameras – it was one of those rare, quiet moments meant to be held between people. The best I can offer is this image of us together on the panel. I’m looking down, shielding my eyes from the stage lights’ glare, while she is poised and present. Somehow, that feels quite fitting.

There were many highlights at the Sarawak Media Conference. I came away reeling from insights, packed sessions, sharp commentaries on AI, ethics, and the shifting role of journalism in our region. But it’s this: the quiet connection over one dinner, the feeling of having stumbled across a long-lost colleague rather than meeting a new one, that I’ll be holding close.

I left Sarawak feeling full: full of ideas, yes, but more than that – full of gratitude. For the minds we meet when we least expect it. For the reminder that, even in a future shaped by algorithms and digital pivots, the most lasting insights often come face to face, over a simple shared meal.

It was an honor to be seated beside her.
And an even greater honor to have truly seen her.

©2025 Shelly Bryant

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