ALOR STAR: Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has expressed his disappointment with the northern region's Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) no-show at the the Darul Aman Literature Awards event last night.
Sanusi claimed that the reason for DBP to snub the event was due to the state government's political alignment with Perikatan Nasional, an opposition at the federal level.
He added that the decision was uncalled for and urged government agencies not to drag politics into arts and literature.
"In literature, there are appropriate terms to describe this situation. It is not acceptable for them to practice 'sihir pemisah' (divisive spell) to create political division as literature is a separate entity (from politics).
"I hope that other government agencies that oversees literature, to never let literature be dragged into political affairs," he told reporters at the the Darul Aman Literature Awards event here last night.
It was understood that the award was jointly planned by DBP alongside with the Angkatan Sasterawan Nasional Kedah (Asasi) and the state government to honour literature field talents in Kedah.
Meanwhile, Sanusi expressed his appreciation towards Asasi for organising the award - the first literature award held in the state in 47 years.
He also pledged the state government's commitment to provide bigger allocation for the event next year.
Commenting further, he stressed on the importance of literature in the development of a civilisation and urged that such aspects to be revitalised in the state.
"Literature contributes a great deal in the construction of all civilisation in the world, there must be literature in the development of a nation's journey.
"We hope that this aspect of literature, such as writing, delivering riddles and poetry to be refreshed in Kedah, to add value to the other progress such as science and technology," he said.