Ipoh certainly deserves a much better book fair than the one organised by the Perak State Library recently. By all accounts, it lacked credible booksellers and titles. How then to inculcate a healthy reading habit among Ipohites? As it stands, what percentage of the city’s population visits the library regularly?
A closer look at the books stacked up for the record-breaking pyramid, a question comes to mind. Are these books fit to be donated to village libraries, orphanages and school children? What is required is the right book for the right category of readers and at the right time.
Something is not right, as I came across some Islamic-titled books in the pyramid. Respect should be accorded to religious books and they should not be stacked up for show.
I am sure the organisers can come up with better strategies to inculcate the reading habit in Ipohites, as reading is not something endemic among Malaysians.
Nadim
