KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 26 — Former journalist, poet, and novelist Datin Seri Saleha Abdul Rashid, better known as Salmi Manja, passed away at noon today due to old age.
In a Facebook post, Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka said Saleha, 87, wife of the National Laureate Datuk Seri A. Samad Said, passed away peacefully at her residence in Subang Jaya.
Her son Helmy Samad confirmed the news in a Facebook post.
He said the last rites would be held at Masjid Al-Irsyad in Subang Jaya, and Saleha would be laid to rest in the USJ22 Muslim Cemetery after the Isyak prayers.
Among the first generation of professional female authors in Malaysia, she focused on issues involving women, feminity, and Islam in her works and was a member of Angkatan Sasterawan ’50 (ASAS 50), the oldest Malay literary organisation in the country.
Some of her works include novels like Hari Mana Bulan Mana and Sayang Ustazah, in addition to several anthologies of short stories and poems.
— Bernama
