The People's Poet

As a writer, as an artist, I feel that my job is to speak the truth of what went on in each decade – be it colonisation, racial tension or poverty. ... It’s only in recent years that I have made a concentrated effort to communicate the ideas with equal force as the language used.

Venerable old man of Malaysian letters, A. Samad Said, is interviewed in today's Starmag by Priya Kulasagaran. Among other things he talks about his desire to explore other art forms and to connect with artists of a younger generation.

This, I think, is very well said :

More and more young people are acknowledging their power to go out and map their own world instead of just sitting back and letting their elders dictate their lives. ... If we allow them space to express themselves, the process can be a very constructive one for all. If you continue clamping down on them, they will just find new platforms for expression.