KUCHING: The Sarawak State Library (Pustaka) appeals for the support of local authors to write and publish more books so that future generations will know what has been written about Sarawak by Sarawakians.
“Because we do not write much, a lot of our knowledge has been lost, especially our own indigenous knowledge,” said Pustaka chief executive officer Dr Rashidah Bolhassan.
“The cooperation of various parties is required — including authors, publishers, and relevant organisations such as library bodies, institutions of higher learning, writers’ associations, and the book industry — in efforts to inculcate the culture of lifelong reading,” she said.
She emphasised that the publishing industry, especially the book industry was a collective responsibility between the government and industry players.
“There will be no books without writers. There will be no readers without books,” she said at the Sarawak Authors Festival (SAF) 2020 Dinner organised by Pustaka at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) on Saturday night (August 29), which was officiated at by Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
Rashidah said that when Pustaka was first set up to be a centre of excellence on everything written about Sarawak, it had had a tough time as there were not enough written works penned by Sarawakians. She said over the years, they had been motivating the state’s authors to write more.
“With the establishment of Pustaka, we have the authority as stated in the Sarawak State Library Ordinance, 1999 in that whatever is written for the public or for mass consumption has to be put in Pustaka,” she said, emphasising that this was part of its effort to preserve Sarawak’s intellectual heritage.
Similarly, she said the National Library of Malaysia was the national depository for publications nationwide including Sarawak.
She said the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) reported in 2018 only 16,903 titles were submitted to the National Library of Malaysia, with Sarawak only making up 488 (2.88 percent) of those titles.
“One of the indicators for a nation to be considered a developed nation is how many publications are being generated yearly. Are we there yet?” she questioned.
Nevertheless, she expressed happiness that since Pustaka had been promoting this matter, there had been an increase in awareness and the number of books submitted to Pustaka.
Speaking of SAF 2020, Rashidah said that this year, the festival included 18 programmes held online due to the new norm, with the peak event being this dinner celebrating authors and publishers.
“The purpose of this festival is to increase community awareness on the importance of the world of books and knowledge. Knowledge is the core business of Pustaka,” she said.
At the same time, she listed the various initiatives and efforts carried out by Pustaka to assist authors and publishers in the state.
These included providing funds for the purchase of new book publishing materials with a maximum of RM10,000 for each author, recognising authors and publishers who contribute significantly to the legal deposit requirements, promoting books on Pustaka’s communication platforms, launching new books published in Sarawak which have been deposited through the legal deposit, holding programmes and activities to assist authors and cultivate writing culture, and more.
During the dinner event, seven books published in Sarawak this year were launched: ‘Menjunjung Kasih Anak-Anak Syurga’ and ‘Naratif Empayar Istimewa’ by Haziq Ahmad Zaki
‘Nyatoh the Friendly Tree’ by Cassandra Eva Lau
‘Seni Ukiran Perkuburan Lama: Jatti Miriek’ by Dr Yakub Mohd Rafee
‘Princess Hornbill’, ‘My Beautiful River’, and ‘Leaf My Pet’ by Mary Anne Vaz
The three books by Mary Anne Vaz are dyslexia-friendly books and these were also presented to the Dyslexia Association of Sarawak.
Meanwhile, the Special Award for Authors was presented to Ratna Dewi Asmara while Special Awards for Publishers were presented to various recipients in different categories.
The Special Awards for Publishers were presented to the Council for Customs and Traditions (MAIS) in the state government category, Department of Labour (federal government category), Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Berhad (private category), SMK Lubok Antu (school category), Persatuan Perkembangan Profesionalisme Pendidikan Sarawak (organisation category), and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) (institution of higher learning category).
