Thou Shalt Not Read

Well not exactly, but something like that, or so this article from MLQ III suggests.

I have been reading so many books for most of my life. My favorites include encylopedias and trade paperbacks. Though I haven’t been reading much like I used to lately, my passion for books still remains. And despite the fact that I love the internet and the world wide web, there is still nothing better than the feel of turning a book’s page. It is so much different from clicking a mouse, or those horrid inventions called “audio books and e-books”.

Then, I read Manuel L. Quezon’s article, which was actually an email forwarded to me by a friend. I also learned about it in peyups.com. Frankly, the whole incident not only irritates me, it leaves me extremely saddened and disappointed that our supposed leaders are now cashing in on the things that actually matters most in our country.

It is already a known fact that government officials back home make a living trying to get the most out of every opportunity they have, especially when the opportuntity involves a matter that will make them rich. The Bureau of Customs is notoriously popular for being one of those “extremely corrupt” agencies in the government. People there cash in on everything, or so I heard. I mean I have never really experienced any rude treatment from government employees there, but after hearing so many reports about how things go in these offices, I find myself not really surprised that they are true.

I get it when the government wants duty paid for gadgets and liquor. To me that completely makes sense. But for book taxation? It’s preposterous. Why would you tax something that is the main source of knowledge? It’s bad enough that a “reading culture” is almost non-existent in our country, and then you have these people who are adamant about taxing the few remaining people in the country who actually love to read?

Here in Malaysia, the government actually encourages reading. They even have tax deductions for people who buy books! Now that makes a lot of sense. Back home, people will have to pay more to get an opporunity to read. Reading has been one of the life’s simplest and oldest pleasures. And now what are these people doing about it? Plain and simple, it’s just another one of those things where people in the government try to find an opportunity to make money even if it undermines the welfare of their constituents. Sadly in this case, they are trying to undermine one of the most important aspects that supposedly contributes to our society’s growth: the sharing of knowledge.

Madami na ngang bobo sa gobyerno, gusto pa nila tayong idamay sa kabobohan nila. What a shame.