"Sahabat Yang Sentiasa di Hati," a compilation of essays written by SGI President Ikeda was recently translated into Malay and published by the Federation of National Writers Association of Malaysia (GAPENA). The book was launched on December 23, 2008 by Dato Kamaruddin Siaraf, Secretary-General of the Information Ministry during the GAPENA Media Dinner held in Kuala Lumpur. Secretary-General, Dato Kamaruddin was attending on behalf of Dato’ Ahmad Shabery Cheek, the Minister of Information. The event, which was held to honour the media and cultural figures, was attended by members of the news media, writers and academicians.

"Sahabat Yang Sentiasa di Hati" is a compilation of thirty essays by President Ikeda, in which he wrote about his meetings with various world figures. These essays were translated into Malay by Nazel Hashim Mohamad from Mr Ikeda’s book "Unforgettable Friends" published by Open University Malaysia.

In his foreword for the book, Tan Sri Prof Emeritus Dato (Dr) Pendeta Haji Ismail Hussein, the president of GAPENA, said that, "With his fresh style of writing, President Ikeda is able to inspire in the readers – the determined spirit of these figures who were fighting for justice and peace in their respective countries and international arena. A universal human spirit stands out."

Hamzah Hamdani, the editor of the book, said, “As an editor, I am attracted to the easy writing style of Mr Ikeda. Remarkably, his essays on the world figures contain many details about the lives of these individuals, and are truly inspiring – for instance his essay on Rosa Parks – an ordinary woman who changed history with a single word of "No!" His book was hard to put down once I started reading. I really admire President Ikeda’s spirit and commitment to world peace.

Nazel Hashim Mohamad, who translated the book from English to Malay, and is presently working on the translation of "A Dialogue Between East and West" – Mr. Ikeda’s dialogue “with former Club of Rome President, Ricardo Diez-Hochlietner, commented, "I find that Mr. Ikeda exercises moderation in his dialogues with world figures. Although he is the leader of a Buddhist organisation, the topics of his discussions with others are never one-sided or focused solely on Buddhism. His dialogues encompass a wide range of topics. I enjoy reading Mr. Ikeda’s dialogues as he emphasises philosophy in his dialogues."

This is the second book by SGI President Ikeda that has been translated and published by GAPENA. The first book "Pertemuan Yang Indah," which is also a compilation of essays on various world figures was published in 2007.