Anwar Pledges All Royalties From New Book To Help Poor Students

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today announced that every cent of the royalty from his latest book, Rethinking Ourselves: Justice, Reform and Ignorance in Postnormal Times, will be channelled entirely to underprivileged students in the country.

He said the book is published by Hurst for the United Kingdom, United States and Europe markets; Penguin for Asia; and Hong Kong University Press for China and East Asia, with projected royalties expected to be significant as pricing is determined by the publishers.

“Let me make it clear that every cent of the royalty will be spent on poor students in this country.

“So thank you once again, and my staff will ensure that when the royalty is received, every single cent will immediately be directed to poor students,” he said when speaking at the book launch at Tsutaya Books, Pavilion Bukit Jalil, here today.

Elaborating on the book, Anwar said it is not a traditional autobiography but a compilation of the evolution of his ideas since the 1970s, touching on themes such as justice, reform, corruption, religious extremism and the challenges of Malaysia’s multiracial society.

Anwar said the book focuses on the evolution of his ideas over several decades rather than serving as a personal autobiography, addressing issues such as corruption, racism, religious extremism and the broader challenges faced by society.

He also highlighted emerging global challenges, including digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI) and the energy transition, stressing that technological progress should not come at the expense of human values.

The prime minister said the book was written over more than a decade, drawing partly from his personal notes during his imprisonment at the Sungai Buloh Prison in Selangor, as well as reflections from various phases of his life as an activist, minister and political detainee.

Anwar is also well known for his earlier work, The Asian Renaissance, published in 1996 when he was serving as Deputy Prime Minister. The book was later translated into Italian by translator Andrea Fais and publisher Stefano Bonilauri.

"The Asian Renaissance was dedicated to my parents. This book, Rethinking Ourselves, is a special dedication to my lovely wife, Azizah," he said.

Earlier, Anwar signed a replica of the book cover for Rethinking Ourselves: Justice, Reform and Ignorance in Postnormal Times displayed on an easel, before proceeding to a meet-and-greet session to autograph the 240-page book purchased by visitors. He also spent about an hour mingling with them at the bookstore.

The event, which began at about 1.30 pm, was attended by the Prime Minister's wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is also Bandar Tun Razak Member of Parliament, Youth and Sports Deputy Minister Adam Adli Abdul Halim, academics and students from higher learning institutions and schools.

For the record, The Asian Renaissance outlines the idea of a revival of Asian civilisation based on the values of knowledge, culture, openness and justice, as a response to global imbalances and the dominance of Western discourse.

-- BERNAMA