Melaka: The state government is introducing the Melaka Reading Award this year in an effort to instill a culture of knowledge through reading under the initiative to cultivate a knowledgeable and motivated community.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Melaka Public Library (Perpustam) chairman Datuk Rosli Abdullah stated that the award focuses on increasing the number of readings and readers as well as targeting more inclusive readers. The Melaka Reading Award is designed to support the National Reading Decade, which aims to position Malaysia as a reading nation and a world-class knowledgeable nation by 2030.
Datuk Rosli explained that through the award, the state government will recognize the Melaka Reader Icon to motivate individuals in making reading or information literacy a cultural norm that can enhance the quality of life in the community. This announcement was made at the Melaka Reading Award Launch Ceremony, held in conjunction with the state-level Jom Baca Bersama 10 Minutes Programme, officiated by the state’s Deputy Exco for Science, Technology, Innovation, and Digital Communications Datuk Mohd Noor Helmy Abdul Halem at Bukit Baru.
He elaborated that the Melaka Reader Icon is divided into categories of children, youth, adults, civil servants, and people with disabilities (OKU) to promote reading as a lifestyle, thereby creating a highly knowledgeable community. Apart from the reader icon, the award will also recognize the best readers among individuals who make reading a lifestyle, as well as those using public library services throughout Melaka.
Additionally, other recognitions at the awards include the best knowledge information gateway (best library) for categories such as homes, government offices, private entities, houses of worship, schools, and higher learning institutions. To support this campaign, Perpustam has adopted the slogan ‘Makin Pedas, Makin Membaca’, drawing a parallel to Melaka’s famous asam pedas, which whets the appetite, while reading whets the mind.
The campaign for the Melaka Reading Awards will run from April until July 31, with winners of each category receiving RM3,000 in cash, the runner-up RM2,000, and the third place RM1,000, along with a certificate and trophy. Meanwhile, data from the Jom Baca Programme from 2014 until last year recorded 1.9 million participants in Melaka.