The storm of hot topics circulating the names of the late Tan Sri Ahmad Nawab's family in a feud with veteran singer Uji Rashid, for her statements in a podcast hosted by Legasi Podcast, three months ago, left Threads and TikTok users with mixed feelings toward the songstress, given her decision to speak out about how she was treated.
The interview was split into two separate parts on YouTube, amounting to almost three hours in total.
Uji, who is now more comfortable covering her face with a traditional Arab veil, purdah, made it clear that she is now more comfortable without celebrity friends before spilling the tea about the gilded years of showbiz.
The songstress shared the stories of her heydays with Tan Sri P. Ramlee, Puan Sri Saloma, Seniwati Norizan (former Perak Queen Consort), including her early years as a cultural dancer merging as an actress and the behind-the-scenes of her infamous duets with the late singer Datuk Hail Amir, which was connected with one of the issues regarding a statement made by the late maestro Ahmad Nawab, saying that she was a "very ungrateful young singer", after the press conference for their album, Melayu Klasik by Uji and Hail.
Uji claimed that his statement, published as a headline for an article by Fauziah Samad, was wrong and unfair, to which Ahmad Nawab's son, Nasir Khan, reportedly responded, saying that she was not telling the story correctly and that it was fabricated.
While we might not know what really happened decades ago, what attracted viewers was not the stories shared or the appearance, but how Uji Rashid was speaking and the data.
It seems that she did not appear as 'bright' or as cultured as she claimed to be when she was saying the words "negro" and "keling", nor was she as sharp when she mentioned her audition with Ahmad Nawab.
She positioned Ahmad Nawab as though he was a classist by saying to singer Surya Booty that he preferred the fair-skinned girl (Uji Rashid) over the other one (Fauziah Nawi) when he was referring to the parts of the song Mencari Pacar sung by Uji at that moment.
Uji sang “Aku mahu pilih yang putih kuning” (I want to choose one who is fair-skinned"
“Ahmad Nawab kata dia nak yang putih (said he wants the fair-skinned girl)” - Surya Booty
"It's not fair for him to do that; he should try the vocals," said Uji Rashid
It seems quite sciolistic for her to take the term too literally and proudly without trying to look deeper into it.
DATUK SHARIFAH AINI, BROERY MARANTIKA, AND DATUK D.J. DAVE
The public was infuriated by her sharing of The National Songstress Datuk Sharifah Aini's bad behavioural traits.
Uji said that Sharifah was trying to defeat her popularity by recording English songs despite her "so-so diction" and that Sharifah never wanted her in meetings.
"She would kick the meeting room door and say, "Why is my album not selling?" She's the gangster of EMI"
"EMI wanted to sign Sharifah's sister, Sharifah Mona, but Sharifah threatened to leave if they did so."
"Broery Marantika's hands were all over Sharifah Aini's back in the studio, and so she was happy when they sang (Seiring dan Sejalan)!"
Claimed Uji Rashid.
She also said that her duet with Hail Amir didn't get the same hit as theirs because Hail didn't like to grope people.
"When she got the Datukship, she was so glad. When Siti (Nurhaliza) got the Datukship, the whole of EMI was shaking, "
Uji also said that Datuk D.J. Dave, known as the icon of unity, made a stupid remark during a time when they performed together in Sarawak, as he spontaneously mentioned one of the Dayak cultural traits.
"He (D.J. Dave) has got an 'action' attitude. People didn't like his attitude; that's why I wrote that song (Rintihan Rasa)"
"Dia dah tak laku (no longer saleable), people had already started to throw and step on his albums in the store room"
On the other hand, looking back at past articles, some of the facts stated were not as reliable; in 2001, when Datuk Syafinaz Selamat released an album consisting of Ahmad Nawab's songs, Uji Rashid once claimed the song Kali Terakhir Ku Lihat Wajah Mu to belong to her, and that she felt no one should steal it.
"Uji is unhappy with the new version of her song Kali Terakhir Ku Lihat Wajahmu. She feels no other singer should steal her song since it has a sentimental place in her heart. She claimed the song was dedicated to her adopted sister, who died in a road accident. Uji was not too pleased when she heard the new version of Kemesraan by Syafinaz. While Uji's version was melancholic, Syafinaz's jazzy and fresh interpretation upstaged the original cut.
''It is my song. I don't even sing it in public places or in any function,'' Uji was quoted as saying in a Bahasa Malaysia newspaper. The singer's emotional reaction provoked Ahmad to come up with yet another icy statement. ''When I wrote the song, Uji Rashid didn't even know about it. So how can she claim that it is her song? If there is anyone who can lay claim to the song, it's me. By right, I should be making all the noise, but I prefer not to." - Written by ZIEMAN in 2001 (The Star)
In the podcast, she also claimed that the late Datuk Sharifah Aini had repeatedly refused to meet her until the day she died. Meanwhile, there have been many photos taken of them in the past, including a promotional session for the concert, Malam Amal Bersama Tiga Diva, alongside Dato' Khadijah Ibrahim, which was to be held at Dewan Perdana Felda in 2013. These discoveries left readers and viewers wondering about the authenticity of her tell-all session.
Based on my observation of the way she spoke as a social sciences student - intonation, oversharing explicit details, and her troubled past - I truly think that she requires several therapy sessions to overcome her internal conflicts, which have caused her to project such an uneasy portrayal on the surface.
The way she mockingly mentioned names like "Datuk D.J. Dave" and "Ahmad Nawab" was very obvious that speaking of those people in such detail was amusing to her.
A senior celebrity of that status should know how to behave in public, and of course, should already be well-learned in basic mannerisms. Rather, it was messy and untamed without basic protocols. Her speech was oblivious, especially as someone who prides herself on being a devout Muslim. What message was she trying to convey by exposing those explicit details in that manner while wearing that attire?
Privacy and confidentiality are something that cannot be compromised with, regardless of time; any decent professional should know that, and seeing how she was publicly telling inside stories of her colleagues, I don't recognise any action that was concerned about ethicality.
As a son to a deceased mother, I applaud Nasir Khan's decision to speak out on behalf of his late father, as this is no longer a case of biography; rather, it has evolved into a matter of reputation involving those who are no longer here to defend themselves.
While some were entertained with her storytelling and her honesty, others were left furious with Uji Rashid's careless sharing, especially when she included unsettling stories. Some are even suggesting that Datuk D.J. Dave, along with the families of the deceased artistes, should break their silence with a statement to say the least.
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Qadeem Zieman (mrshaher.official@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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