PM calls for revival of reading culture to uplift nation

New Straits Times

5 hours ago

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called on Malaysians to revive the spirit of reading, emphasising its crucial role in nation-building and advancing knowledge.
He said without a commitment to lifelong learning through reading, the country cannot hope to compete globally or improve its command of language, knowledge and technology.
"We have inherited a proud and remarkable civilisation. It is our generation's responsibility to pursue knowledge diligently as well as shape values, character and integrity, to elevate the dignity of our people and our nation," he said.
Speaking at the opening of the Malaysia Madani Nationalism Seminar, themed 'Teachers as Catalysts of Patriotism', Anwar said reviving a reading culture is essential to producing well-informed, morally grounded citizens, a goal that requires unity, collective effort and a shared commitment to justice.
He noted that simply distributing books is no longer enough to foster interest among younger Malaysians, who are increasingly drawn to social media.
"This is not a new problem," he said, citing an American social critic, Allan Bloom, who warned as early as the 1980s, in his book 'The Closing of the American Mind', that interest in reading was already in decline.
Anwar said that national pride should not be measured solely through material development, but also through enduring human values.
"We may achieve progress, but without a sense of humanity, it is incomplete," he said.
More than 1,000 educators attended the seminar, including retired teachers, teaching professionals from Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, as well as teacher trainees from the Teacher Education Institutes.
Also present were Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, Akademi Kenegaraan Malaysia (AKM) director-general Datuk Dr Roslan Hussin and Putrajaya Corporation (PPj) president Datuk Fadlun Mak Ujud.