KUALA LUMPUR: Former journalist, poet and novelist who was among the first generation of professional female authors in Malaysia, Datin Seri Saleha Abdul Rashid, better known as Salmi Manja, passed away at noon yesterday (Dec 26) due to old age.

Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka (DBP) in a Facebook post announced that Saleha, 87, wife of the National Laureate Datuk Seri Dr A. Samad Said, breathed her last at home in Subang Jaya.

Her son, Helmy Samad, confirmed the news through a post on his Facebook.

He said the last rites would be held at the Al-Irsyad Mosque in Subang Jaya, adding that she would be laid to rest in the USJ22 Muslim Cemetery after the Isyak prayers.

Saleha 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 such as Hari Mana Bulan Mana and Sayang Ustazah, in addition to several anthologies of short stories and poems. - Bernama