Sabah authors want more attention from DBP

KUALA LUMPUR: The federal government, through Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), has been asked to give more attention to authors in Sabah in an effort to turn the state into a literary and language hub.

Ikatan Penulis Sabah (IPS) head Abd Naddin Shaiddin said this could be done by, among others, providing support in terms of fund and support to take the language and literary activities to greater heights.

He said this when commenting on the appointment of Professor Datuk Dr Awang Sariyan as the chairman of the DBP Board of Control for a three-year term effective May 22.

Other than diversifying the activities, he also hoped that DBP, under the leadership of Awang, could appoint more Sabah literary, language and educational activists as ‘munsyi dewan’ to meet the group’s needs in the state.

He also hoped that DBP would thrust Sabah’s authors on to national and international levels through its development programme.

“Sabah has a large number of excellent authors who could be highlighted at national, regional and international levels. Some of them are Datuk Jasni Matlani, who is also the recipient of the 2015 Southeast Asian Write Award, Datuk Dr Zaiton Ajamain, Datuk

Arifin Arif, Professor Dr Ramzah Dambul, Dr Raymond Majumah, Hasyuda Abadi, Mabulmaddin Shaiddin, Norawi Kata, Ruhaini Matdarin and Hassan Jaidin,” he told Bernama via a WhatsApp message yesterday.

Abd Naddin said IPS also wished that the development of the Malay language and literature would be intensified in the future, with DBP becoming an important locomotive for spurring its development.”

The IPS, established in 1990, currently has 200 members across Sabah and several branches in other districts, including in Sandakan and Kota Belud. – Bernama