DBP willing to help writers publish their works: Chief
Published on: Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) is giving an opportunity to the literary community in Sabah to have their works published. "We welcome those who still do not have complete manuscripts to submit their proposal papers on titles so that we will be able to look into it," said its Director Asmiah Ajamain."We are always prepared to guide those who are interested in publishing quality writings which are suitable for all readers.
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"We are lack of academic books and master works that are capable of reflecting our country's race and civilisation," she said, stressing the importance of books to spread knowledge among the community in line with the nation's 2020 vision.Asmiah said this during the launching of Sabah Parks' books at Promenade Hotel here, Monday."We have also introduced a publishing package programme in 2013 and there have been an increase of books being published compared to the past years."I hope that Sabah Parks will benefit from this programme. We also have panels of specialists to speed up the evaluation process of manuscripts apart from ensuring their quality," she said, adding that they also held workshops and collaborated with various institutions through Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
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According to her, the collaboration between DBP and Sabah Parks started in 2004 through several workshops as well as meetings related to book publishing but both parties have not officially signed a MoU."We hope that this matter will be brought up for further discussions to strengthen collaboration between both parties," she said.
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Sabah Parks Board of Trustees Chairman, Datuk Tengku Zainal Adlin said he believed through the writing workshops by the Research and Education Division, they will be able to achieve their target to produce at least 20 books from 2015 to 2025."We will be able to channel valuable information to the public regarding our effort at Sabah Parks besides promoting the uniqueness of Sabah's flora and fauna," he said, adding that the move will definitely attract more people to visit Sabah Parks.Adlin also thanked DBP for their support in publishing their books and hoped more will follow in the future.Among the books launched during the event were 'Lotong Merah Eksklusif Borneo' by Dr Maklarin Lakim, Amfibia Sabah by Paul Imbun and Keang Gergasi Borneo by Elvin Michael, Nasrulhakim Maidin and Abdul Jalil Mapait.Maklarin said he faced lots of challenges in publishing the book especially in terms of photographs."I started writing the book after I completed my PhD studies at UMS in 2008 and it is based on my research studies," he said, adding that there is not much study on the Red Leaf Monkey (Lotong Merah)."This is because the Red Leaf Monkey is known to be a very shy animal and would always hide away from others unlike the Prosbocis monkey or orang utan which are much more extrovert.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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