DPM advocates self-censorship

KUALA LUMPUR: The culture of self-censorship could help prevent society from falling into negative influences, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Home Minister, added self-censorship could also stop Malaysians from making inaccurate decisions.
"In facing the quantum leap of technological advancement, it is very important for us to self-censor any content, including its effect towards our lives," Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said during the National Book Awards and Telenovela Awards at Seri Pacific Hotel here today.
His speech was read by Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.
Ahmad Zahid added the way to move forward is to pick up reliable books or sources as one's guidance.
"To move forward, our way of thinking must change, in line with the rapid development in technological information.
"A smart way to do this is to transform our minds by referring to a reliable source or book," he said.
He added the "book culture" must be made an important component of the nation's cultural blueprint.
He added Malaysia needs to produce at least 30,000 books a year in order to achieve a developed nation status.
"According to the ISBN (International Standard Book Number) which was released by the National Library, I was made to understand that we only managed to produce about 16,000 to 18,000 new books from 2010 to 2016.
"This is only about half of the target," he said.
Meanwhile, 10 categories were introduced at the Perdana awards given to the 2017 National Book Awards.
Among the awards were Biography Historian, awarded to Dr Adnan Mohd Nawang, All-Time Political Author (Syed Hussein Al-Attas) and Best of the Best award to Mohana Gill.