Yasmin Ahmad ‘was a man’

KUALA LUMPUR – ONLY days after her death, Malaysia is abuzz with talk that film-maker Yasmin Ahmad (with husband Abdullah Tan Yew Leong) used to be a man.

c22-4 According to a tabloid report, Yasmin, 51, was once a male singer, Zulkifli Ahmad, and the first runner-up of the Bintang RTM 1975 singing contest. He apparently cut two albums and went on to pursue his studies in Britain.

The Kosmo! newspaper ran a front-page story on Monday with the headline ‘Yasmin’s fate: Dies as a woman, fans of all races weep for her’. The page two story had the headline ‘From soccer striker to renowned director’ and pictures of Zulkifli.

The paper interviewed two former classmates, Mr Rosmanizam Abdullah and Mr Abdul Rahman, who are certain that Yasmin was Zulkifli. ‘I will always remember her as Zulkifli Ahmad, a great striker in soccer who represented the state,’ Kosmo! quoted Mr Rosmanizam, who is still active in sports associations.

Several bloggers are upset by the reports.

Prominent blogger Marina Mahathir, daughter of former prime minister Mahathir Mohammad, wrote on her website: ‘Unfortunately there are some truly low creatures at that despicable rag called Kosmo who are determined to defame her and her legacy.

The family is devastated. Yasmin has hardly been buried and Kosmo has already started to publish all sorts of trash about her.’ She called for a boycott of the paper.

Yasmin died last Saturday, two days after suffering a stroke. She left behind her husband Abdullah, 45, a 14-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, and parents, Inom Yon and Ahmad Hashim. Her family has not commented on the reports.

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