KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 (Bernama) -- Tan Sri A. Samad Ismail, who died Thursday of a lung infection at the age of 84, was much more than an outstanding journalist.

He was a well-known literary figure, an advocate of Bahasa Malaysia, a political activist, a trade unionist, a champion of human rights, a freedom fighter....

In short, he was a man of many talents.

Samad, fondly known as "Pak Samad" among journalists, started his career in journalism as a cub reporter with Utusan Melayu at the aged of 16 after completing his Senior Cambridge education.

He had the privilege of having been tutored in journalism by none other than prominent journalist and literary figure Abdul Rahim Kajai -- the father of Malay journalism.

Samad rose to become editor of Berita Malai, a merger of Utusan Melayu and Warta Melayu, in his 20's during the Japanese Occupation in the 1940's following the sudden death of Abdul Rahim.

Also, during the Japanese Occupation, he underwent political baptism under firebrand journalist Ibrahim Yaakob and his Kesatuan Melayu Muda, and became involved in the Indonesian independence struggle. He was a gun-runner for the Indonesian freedom fighters.

Samad also involved himself with the struggle for Malaya's independence and became the founding member of the Malay Nationalist Party.

In 1946, after the Japanese Occupation, he returned to Utusan Melayu, in Singapore then, and moved up the ranks to become deputy editor seven years later.

However, in 1951 he was imprisoned by the British colonial administration in Singapore without being brought to trail for alleged Communist activities. He was released in 1953.

After his release, Samad joined Lee Kuan Yew (former Singapore prime minister and currently minister mentor) to form the People's Action Party (PAP), and drafted the party constitution and manifesto. He left the party in 1957.

In the same year, he was sent to Indonesia as Utusan Melayu's correspondent following a tiff with Yusoff Ishak, the company's managing editor and editor-in-chief, and missed the birth of independent Malaya on Aug 31 despite having been one of the prominent freedom fighters.

In Indonesia, he was well-received by his Indonesian comrades, including Adam Malik (former Indonesian vice-president). He was there for eight months before returning to Singapore and joining The Straits Times.

He then became the de facto editor of its new Malay language newspaper, Berita Harian, in 1958, and moved to the newspaper's editorial office in Kuala Lumpur.

In 1972, Samad, who was then the deputy editor-in-chief of the New Straits Times Group, spearheaded the move to transfer the ownership of the New Straits Times' Malaysian operation into Malaysian hands.

An obsessive reader, Samad was also the champion of Malay literature and culture, and was a prime mover in the setting up of the Angkatan Sasterawan '50 (ASAS 50), a literary movement campaigning for Malay rights and freedom in the 1950's.

He was also instrumental in the setting up of the National Writers Association of Malaysia or Pena, and helped to establish the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, the institute of language and literature, in 1956.

Despite his hectic life as a journalist, Samad was able to pen 11 novels, four books on journalism and writing and two anthologies of short stories, among others. His novels include "Patah Sayap, Terbang Jua" and "Tembok Tidak Tinggi", which portray the experiences in his life before and during the Japanese Occupation and when he was in jail.

Through his writing, he helped to liberate the Malay mindset and caused it to agitate for independence from colonialisation.

For his literary works, Samad was awarded the "Hadiah Pejuang Sastera Malaysia" (Literary Champion of Malaysia Prize) by the Malaysian government in 1976.

In 1988, he received the first "Tokoh Wartawan Negara" (National Journalism Laureate) award organised by the Malaysian Press Institute.

In 1994, Samad was named winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts.

Samad used to be held under the Internal Security Act for five years from 1976 for allegedly conspiring to subvert the Malaysian and Singaporean governments.

When Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad became prime minister in 1981, Samad was released from detention.

Six months after his release from detention, he was appointed the advisor of The Star's Bahasa Malaysia section and, in November 1982, was appointed the editorial advisor of the New Straits Times.

Having retired in 1988 after 48 years in journalism, Samad never remained idle. He continued to write and read and became a reference for issues on journalism and Malaysian independence.

In 2000, a book on him titled "A. Samad Ismail: Journalism and Politics" compiled by Cheah Boon Kheng, which consists of articles on him written by his late wife, Puan Sri Hamidah Hassan, a former reporter, and his friends including the late Tan Sri Melan Abdullah, was launched.

Samad, born on April 18, 1924 in Singapore, was the eighth of 16 children of Javanese couple Ismail Shairazi and Aida Abdul Majid.

His father, who was headmaster of a Malay school in Singapore, was also a writer and had contributed articles in Malay to local newspapers.

Samad had 10 children. Two of his daughters, Maria and Nuraina, are ex- journalists who now run their own blogs.

-- BERNAMA