Malaysians Urged To Write More Books On History, Culture And Heritage

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 (Bernama) -- Former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Friday called on Malaysians to write more books on the nation's history, culture and heritage. He said books, either hard copies or E-books, would keep the young and future generations informed and thus facilitate the understanding and appreciation of culture and heritage. "Writing good books can only be possible if contents can be sourced from research and documentation. It is therefore important that the habit and practice of systematic documentation be inculcated among Malaysians. "Assuming that resource and data are available and accessible, it is imperative that it must be a person who is competent and skillful at writing who can write a good book. "It is in this context that I appeal to Malaysians firstly, to read, as it is the avid reader who has the depth and breadth of vocabulary to express content," he said. Abdullah said this when launching a book, titled "Malaysian Batik: Reinventing a Tradition" written by Noor Azlina Yunus in conjunction with the Kuala Lumpur International Batik Convention and Exhibition (KLIB) 2011 here Friday. He said Malaysians should also work at developing writing skills in English, Bahasa Melayu (the Malay language), Arabic or any other languages. "Writing a book on our culture and heritage is a great service to our nation," he said. The 176-page book, priced at RM110 (US$35) each, traces the origins of batik, the materials, methods and motifs of the block-stamped and hand-drawn methods, and the ways in which the Malaysian batik has been transformed into a craft with international appeal. Earlier, KLIB 2011 was launched by Deputy Information, Communications and Culture Minister Maglin Dennis D'Cruz. -- BERNAMA