Home Ministry bans Selangor govt-funded translated book on Mao Zedong

 

The Home Ministry has banned another publication on a communist leader, this time involving a book on Mao Zedong published under the Selangor state government's funding.

According to a Federal Government Gazette, the book titled “Mao Zedong: China dalam Dunia Abad ke-20” was banned under Section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publication Act, which gives the home minister the "absolute discretion" to prohibit any "undesirable publications".

The ban took effect from the date of the gazette on Feb 13.

The original book titled “Mao Zedong and China in the Twentieth-Century World” was written by New York University history professor Rebecca E Karl.

It centred on the historical account of the former Chinese Communist Party leader's life and thoughts, according to a description by Duke University Press.

Mao Zedong

The translated version was published in 2020 by IBDE Ilham Sdn Bhd, a private company that received grants from the Selangor state government.

When contacted, its chief executive director Farhan Nor Affandi said the book was among the publications that it had translated under the state government's “Siri Pencerahan Selangor” initiative.

He said the company took note of the government's decision but stressed that the book was purely an academic and analytical work about history.

"It was in no way intended to promote or spread the communist ideology, but instead explained Mao’s role in the context of 20th-century history.

"This approach is a normal practice in the international history discipline," Farhan said.

Ideologies and historical events

The publisher added that a society's maturity depends on its ability to understand the various ideologies and historical events.

"Understanding does not mean supporting (an ideology). On the contrary, it helps the society to make informed decisions," Farhan said.

Malaysiakini has reached out to the Selangor state government for comment.

Last week, book publisher Gerakbudaya was served with a notice from the ministry banning two of its publications that narrate stories about the struggle of the Malayan Communist Party (CPM).

The first book is a memoir on prominent CPM figure Shamsiah Fakeh, while the second one was titled “Komrad Asi (Rejimen 10): Dalam Denyut Nihilisme Sejarah”, which was published in 2022. - Mkini