Abdul Samad Ismail
Encyclopedia
Abdul Samad Ismail who often went by the moniker Pak Samad, was a Malaysian journalist
, writer
and editor
.
, where he also attended Victoria School
. He completed a Senior Cambridge
certificate
as a cub reporter at the daily newspaper
, Utusan Melayu, where he began his career in journalism
in 1940.
during World War II
, Samad worked for the Japan
ese-supported newspaper, Berita Malai. He became editor of Berita Malai when he was just 21 years old. The British
, who controlled Malaysia during the colonial era, returned following the Japanese defeat and briefly imprisoned Samad. He was released after a short time and returned to work at the Utusan Melayu.
Samad wrote extensively in support of Malaysian independence from the United Kingdom
. He often met with the Malay supporters of independence, as well as the separatists who were against Dutch
rule in nearby Indonesia
. For his actions, Samad was arrested by the British authorities again in 1951. He was released from prison in 1953 and again returned to work at Utusan Melayu.
Samad founded the People's Action Party
(PAP) with Lee Kuan Yew
, the future Prime Minister of Singapore
. However, disagreements between Samad and both Lee and the Utusan Melayu resulted in his move to the city of Kuala Lumpur
. While in Kuala Lumpur, Samad became the head of the Berita Harian
newspaper and the managing editor of the New Straits Times Press
(NSTP) group.
Samad promoted several social causes within his writing in post-independence Malaysia. He drew attention to social inequalities within Malaysian society, called for the national standardization
of the Malay language
and reported on the sometimes complex relationship between race and Malaysian politics.
For his writings on social issues, which were popular with the public, Samad was arrested in 1976 under the Internal Security Act
. He was finally released from prison five years later in 1981.
Samad rejoined the New Straits Times Press group following his release from prison as an editorial
adviser. He retired from full-time journalism in 1988.
and journalism.
He was also awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award
for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communications Arts in 1994 for his efforts in support of Malaysian independence, democratic nation building and Malay cultural revival in Malaysia.
. He succumbed from a severe lung infection and kidney failure at the age of 84. Prior to this, he had been hospitalized in the intensive care unit since 24 August 2008, due to breathing difficulties.
Lee Kuan Yew
sent his condolences to Samad's son, describing him as able and shrewd though with an innate ability to accept changed realities. In the condolence letter, Lee said that they were friends even though they had parted company politically. When Samad wanted to visit his family in Singapore, Lee had recommended that the entry ban on Samad be lifted.
Samad was survived by his children (whom he had with his first wife, Hamidah Hassan), as well as his grandchildren & great grandchildren. He had ten children during his life, eight of whom are still living. He had two sons, Hamed and Kamal, and daughters Maria, Norlin, Nuraina, Norazah, Nurazlin and Nurazrina. Maria and Nuraina (http://nursamad.blogspot.com) are former journalists and are active bloggers.
Samad's first wife, Hamidah Hassan, had died in 1990.
He was buried at the Muslim cemetery
in Bukit Kiara
, where Hamidah was also buried.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
.
Early life
Samad was born on 18 April 1924, in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, where he also attended Victoria School
Victoria School
Victoria School in Singapore is a government secondary school for boys, founded in 1876, at Siglap Link, about one kilometre from affiliated Victoria Junior College....
. He completed a Senior Cambridge
Senior Cambridge
The Senior Cambridge examinations were General Certificate of Education examinations held in Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, India, and Jamaica. They were preceded by the Junior Cambridge and Preliminary Cambridge examinations.-India:...
certificate
General Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
as a cub reporter at the daily newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, Utusan Melayu, where he began his career in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
in 1940.
Career
During the Japanese occupation of MalayaJapanese occupation of Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak
Throughout much of World War II, British Malaya, North Borneo and Sarawak were under Japanese occupation.The Japanese Empire commenced the Pacific War with the invasion of Kota Bahru in Kelantan on 8 December 1941 at 00:25, about 90 minutes before the Attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii at 07:48 on 7...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Samad worked for the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese-supported newspaper, Berita Malai. He became editor of Berita Malai when he was just 21 years old. The British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, who controlled Malaysia during the colonial era, returned following the Japanese defeat and briefly imprisoned Samad. He was released after a short time and returned to work at the Utusan Melayu.
Samad wrote extensively in support of Malaysian independence from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He often met with the Malay supporters of independence, as well as the separatists who were against Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
rule in nearby Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. For his actions, Samad was arrested by the British authorities again in 1951. He was released from prison in 1953 and again returned to work at Utusan Melayu.
Samad founded the People's Action Party
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party is the leading political party in Singapore. It has been the city-state's ruling political party since 1959....
(PAP) with Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...
, the future Prime Minister of Singapore
Prime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
. However, disagreements between Samad and both Lee and the Utusan Melayu resulted in his move to the city of Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. While in Kuala Lumpur, Samad became the head of the Berita Harian
Berita Harian
Berita Harian is a major Malay language newspaper in Malaysia. Its Sunday Edition is called Berita Minggu. It was founded on 31 August 1957, which also marks the date of Malaya's independence...
newspaper and the managing editor of the New Straits Times Press
New Straits Times Press
The New Straits Times Press is a Malaysian conglomerate of publishing companies, owned by Media Prima. The NSTP publishes several newspapers, including the New Straits Times, The Malay Mail, Berita Harian and Harian Metro.-Origin:...
(NSTP) group.
Samad promoted several social causes within his writing in post-independence Malaysia. He drew attention to social inequalities within Malaysian society, called for the national standardization
Standardization
Standardization is the process of developing and implementing technical standards.The goals of standardization can be to help with independence of single suppliers , compatibility, interoperability, safety, repeatability, or quality....
of the Malay language
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
and reported on the sometimes complex relationship between race and Malaysian politics.
For his writings on social issues, which were popular with the public, Samad was arrested in 1976 under the Internal Security Act
Internal Security Act (Malaysia)
The Internal Security Act 1960 is a preventive detention law in force in Malaysia. The legislation was enacted after Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957. The ISA allows for detention without trial or criminal charges under limited, legally defined circumstances...
. He was finally released from prison five years later in 1981.
Samad rejoined the New Straits Times Press group following his release from prison as an editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
adviser. He retired from full-time journalism in 1988.
Awards
He was honoured for his contribution in 1992 by the King of Malaysia, who at the time was Sultan Azlan Shah of Perak. Samad also separately received the Pejuang Sastera (Literature Champion) for literatureLiterature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and journalism.
He was also awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award
Ramon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia's Nobel...
for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communications Arts in 1994 for his efforts in support of Malaysian independence, democratic nation building and Malay cultural revival in Malaysia.
Death
Samad died quietly on the evening 4 September 2008, at Pantai Medical Centre in Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. He succumbed from a severe lung infection and kidney failure at the age of 84. Prior to this, he had been hospitalized in the intensive care unit since 24 August 2008, due to breathing difficulties.
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...
sent his condolences to Samad's son, describing him as able and shrewd though with an innate ability to accept changed realities. In the condolence letter, Lee said that they were friends even though they had parted company politically. When Samad wanted to visit his family in Singapore, Lee had recommended that the entry ban on Samad be lifted.
Samad was survived by his children (whom he had with his first wife, Hamidah Hassan), as well as his grandchildren & great grandchildren. He had ten children during his life, eight of whom are still living. He had two sons, Hamed and Kamal, and daughters Maria, Norlin, Nuraina, Norazah, Nurazlin and Nurazrina. Maria and Nuraina (http://nursamad.blogspot.com) are former journalists and are active bloggers.
Samad's first wife, Hamidah Hassan, had died in 1990.
He was buried at the Muslim cemetery
Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery
The Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery is a cemetery at the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is located near Taman Tun Dr Ismail.- Notable burials :*Kamaluddin Muhamad — Malay author *Usman Awang — Malay author ...
in Bukit Kiara
Bukit Kiara
Bukit Kiara is an affluent suburb of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The area is in proximity to the suburbs of Bukit Damansara, TTDI, Mont Kiara, Sri Hartamas and Bangsar. Bukit Kiara has often been described as the 'green lung' of Kuala Lumpur, boasting many jungle trails through its characteristic hills...
, where Hamidah was also buried.