SINGAPORE: Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has described the late Malaysian writer Samad Ismail, who passed away on September 4, as able and shrewd, with an innate ability to accept changed realities.

In a condolence letter to Mr Samad's son, Mr Lee said that though both he and Mr Samad had parted company politically, personally they were friends.

Mr Lee said he first met the Singapore-born ex-journalist in 1953 at a detention camp on St John's Island, while acting for him as his lawyer.

Mr Samad had then been detained under Emergency Regulations, and as his lawyer, Mr Lee said he knew from the Special Branch evidence that Mr Samad was a communist who had led the Malay section of the Anti-British League.

After Mr Samad's release from detention, Mr Lee invited him and fellow detainee - former Singapore president Devan Nair - to join in talks which led to the formation of the People's Action Party.

Mr Samad moved to Kuala Lumpur in 1957. Mr Lee said both men never met again after the political parting of ways between the pro- and non-Communists in the PAP.

But when Mr Samad signalled he wanted to visit Singapore to see his family, Mr Lee said he recommended that Singapore lift the entry ban against Mr Samad.

The late journalist later wrote an objective piece describing the progress he had seen among the Singapore Malays.

- CNA/ir