Zahid dreams of Malaysia’s own Nobel Prize winners

Deputy Prime Minister challenges national laureates to take Malaysian literature to the next level.

KUALA LUMPUR: In saying the sky was the limit, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has challenged local authors to take the Malaysian literary industry to the global level.

The government, he promised, would help in any way it could.

Speaking at the National Book Award Appreciation ceremony today, a brainchild of his, Zahid lamented the lack of any celebrated Malaysian works of literature in the region, let alone globally.

“Maybe we are not there yet. Maybe we are overlooking certain steps that we can take (to get there).”

Zahid posited that in order for Malaysian literature to be celebrated in the region and eventually around the world, all parties involved had to put in the effort, and not leave it up to the government alone to do it.

While acknowledging the present size of the market and the lack of a solid reading culture locally, Zahid urged Malaysian authors to break away from the “cocoon” mentality and create bodies of work that could be appreciated globally and that transcended cultural differences.

“Therefore, I’m issuing a challenge to myself and all Malaysian laureates to take Malaysian literature further to the next level, with the help of publishers and production companies.”

He added that local publishers should work synergistically to create more exposure and promote more local authors and researchers at the global level.

Zahid said it was his hope that by 2057, at the nation’s 100th anniversary, the nation could look back triumphantly at its achievements in this area.

He did however say this could only happen if all steps implemented now came to full fruition.

“We want (Malaysian) Nobel Prize winners.”