MPH book awards: Why no Malaysian winners?

Book smart: (from left) Pansing representatives Siti Fadilah Abdul Samah and Balasubramaniam Rajoo, MPH Distributors representative Ong Tean Chai and Penguin Books Malaysia sales manager Chung Yau Hwa with their awards at MPH's Best Of 2013 Awards Night.

MPH's recent book awards, based on its own bestseller list, finds international authors winning over local writers. Can we ever tip the balance? 

"My heart flutters when I hear your name. My breath comes to a standstill when you are near...” With these words (translated from Bahasa Malaysia), 42-year-old Anita Abdullah, who runs a print shop in Negeri Sembilan, won the Mutiara Minda Award for her romance novel, Saat Terlalu Cinta. The book awards event was organised by MPH, in conjunction with the Best of 2013 Awards night and as part of the Putrajaya International Book Fair 2014.