A. Samad Said an Artist or an Activist?
According to the The Star news, "While he has always been known for his literary work, he is now seen as a face of activism, especially for his work with Bersih. He has been a co-chairperson of the coalition since 2011."
The Star news is a famous Tabloid newspaper in Malaysia. His writing is used to establish equality and chooses to write in Malay. This is further supported by a research done by C. S. Lim saying that the audience for poetry in Malaysia is small and is even smaller "for poetry written in English."
"Art should help instead of destroying," says A. Samad Said and causes readers to reflect critically on what they are watching in movies, or on TV.
He believed that opposition is needed and strived to prevent the degradation of Malay language usage in Malaysia. He also participated in rallys.
"He became the co-chairperson for Bersih 2.0 rally together with Ambiga Sreenevasan in 2011 in order to support a free and fair elections in Malaysia."
In recent years (2011), A. Samad Said composed a poem named "Unggun Bersih" (Cleansing fire/bonfire) which police investigated for sedition. This poem is also one that we will be looking at.
Referenced from: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/09/17/A-Samad-Said/
