KUCHING: There’s a push for Yayasan Sarawak to step up the financial aid it offers local book publishers.
Mersal Abang Rosli, the Director of Yayasan Sarawak, highlighted the importance of this move after discussions with the Head of State, Tun Pehin Sri Dr. Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
Currently, the financial assistance stands at around RM20,000 per publication. But Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi feels this sum might not cut it anymore. He wants the Foundation to mull over increasing this support to help bring more top-notch books to the shelves.
Mersal Abang Rosli made it clear that the rising costs of publishing demand a reevaluation of the aid scheme. He expressed these sentiments to the press following a visit to Astana Negeri Sarawak.
The next step? Mersal plans to take this proposal to the top, to Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, the Premier and Chairman of Yayasan Sarawak.
The aim is to get the Board of Trustees of Yayasan Sarawak to adjust the aid package to better match the current needs of Sarawak’s publishing industry.
During this discussion, Watson Chunggat Leonard Doo, the Acting Deputy Director of Yayasan Sarawak (Education), was also present.
