INTERVIEW | The Home Ministry’s move to ban books is no longer realistic or practical in the current situation and contradicts Pakatan Harapan’s promises, said political veteran Rais Yatim.
Instead, it would only undermine the credibility of the Madani government in the eyes of the people, especially in light of Harapan’s promise to, among others, review and abolish the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.
“So, with that, Harapan's credibility as a government, together with DAP, is being critically assessed.
“Not walking the talk, as the Chinese used to say. Now they (the Harapan government) are doing just that. Previously, (Prime Minister) Anwar Ibrahim said information is a must for everybody. Now, what aren't people reading? Fine, ban (books), but people can read them on the internet.
“So, it is not practical. Okay, if that's the case, take all the books written by Karl Marx and get rid of them. Now, there are plenty… in this day and age, it's no longer realistic to keep banning books,” he emphasised in an interview with Malaysiakini in Kuala Lumpur recently.
In its manifesto for the 15th general election, Harapan had promised to abolish laws deemed to be repressive.
This entails reviewing and repealing provisions that could be misused to restrict freedom of speech, including the Sedition Act 1948, the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, and the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.
More recently, the issue of book bans by the Home Ministry was again highlighted after enforcement action was taken against several publications.
These include the books “Memoir Shamsiah Fakeh: Dari Awas ke Rejimen ke-10”, “Komrad Asi (Rejimen 10): Dalam Denyut Nihilisme Sejarah”, and a translated book on Mao Zedong published with funding from the Selangor government.
Unreasonable ban
Commenting further, Rais said the ban on the book about Shamsiah was unreasonable and must be opposed.
“In my opinion, pornographic books for children – those are forbidden, no problem banning those. But about communists, about Shamsiah, it's unreasonable, and we must speak up.
“So, I hope, if I can get the details, I can voice this through NGOs. If it is to determine the level of societal destruction, I think this Shamsiah book is nothing.
“Read it first, which part of the book is unsuitable? But even that is nothing compared to Marx. His book is (about) communist doctrine," he added.
Rais also shared his experience as the deputy home minister with the then minister Ghazali Shafie.
The ministry at the time had moved to ban a book by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“Just think, ‘The Malay Dilemma’ was banned. One day, I was scolded by my boss (Ghazali). He said he was directed by the cabinet to ban (‘The Malay Dilemma’).
“So what to do? The cabinet directed it, and I, as the deputy minister, had to follow. But I read Mahathir's book, and there was nothing to it. I think the same about Shamsiah's (book).
“There are many more books we should read for a comparative mind. Malays, especially, do not like to read nowadays. They only use (read) this (the internet). This is not a good study habit,” Rais said.
Apart from the Home Ministry role, Rais also served as the culture, arts and heritage minister from 2004 to 2008, and information, communication and culture minister from 2009 to 2013. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.