SHAH ALAM, Aug 31 — The Selangor government supports language and literary development to strengthen community identities, culture and ideas, said state executive councillor for housing and culture Datuk Borhan Aman Shah.
He added that this is important to ensure the state’s development isn’t just measured by physical growth, but also by the engenderment of knowledge and culture.
“Poetry and literature aren’t just arrangements of words, but carry language, culture, history, and people’s identities.
“... We must also keep cultivating a reading culture, especially among youth, so the progress we build is always aligned with knowledge, values, and intelligence,” he said in a Facebook post today after attending the National Poetry Day and the launch of Selangor’s National Reading Decade initiative, which gathered writers, poets, and literateurs.
He also congratulated Selangor Poet Laureate Zainal Jazlan, saying he hopes the recognition keeps the poetry and literature world alive and inspires coming generations of writers.
“The state government will keep providing space and support for the growth of language and literature to make Selangor not just developmentally progressive, but also rich in culture and thinking.
“May poetry remain the voice of the dignified, reading remain the path to knowledge, and language remain the heart of the people,” Borhan said.
