KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 — Children should to be exposed to the culture of reading, especially books about the diversity of races and religions in Malaysia, to cultivate a knowledgeable generation and celebrate differences, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
Doing so would provide opportunities for them to understand the stories of different communities in the country, thereby fostering a spirit of unity that propels the nation forward.
"We need to take this opportunity to delve into the stories of the various communities in our country, and from there, we can understand and celebrate differences from a young age," he said to the press at Wisma Bernama today.
Fahmi was speaking after attending the ‘Let's Read Together for 10 Minutes@Bernama: Reading Preserves Unity’ programme, organised in collaboration with the Swedish Embassy in Malaysia in conjunction with the World Book and Copyright Day, which is celebrated every April 23.
With the era of digitalisation, the minister understands the challenge for parents to promote the culture of reading books among children as they have been exposed to gadgets and devices from a young age.
However, parents should also play a role in piquing their interest and spending time together to read books.
"I feel that even for my children, sometimes directing them to read books is not easy, but it begins with parents saying no to devices.
"We need to start buying books, have the culture of going to bookstores, spending time together and finding books they are interested in. So these books will eventually be opened; when we ask them not to use gadgets, they will open these books," he said.
Earlier, Fahmi joined students and teachers from the Sri Aria School, as well as Bernama staff to spend 10 minutes reading books of their own choice in Wisma Bernama's lobby.
Others who participated in the programme included Swedish Ambassador to Malaysia Joachim Bergström, Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim, Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, chief executive officer Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin, and editor-in-chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj.
— Bernama
