A granddaughter of Shamsiah Fakeh has urged the Home Ministry to lift a ban on the Malayan Communist Party figure’s memoir and another book that narrates stories about the organisation’s struggle.
Bandar Utama assemblyperson Jamaliah Jamaluddin, in a statement on Facebook, expressed disappointment with the Home Ministry’s move to ban the two books - “Memoir Shamsiah Fakeh: Dari Awas ke Rejimen ke-10” and “Komrad Asi (Rejimen 10): Dalam Denyut Nihilisme Sejarah”.
“The memoir has been published since 2004, more than two decades ago, and has been reprinted several times.
“Its content mainly recounts the life journey and experiences of Shamsiah,” she said.
“There has been no extremist movement reported to have arisen from the writing or publication of this book,” said the Selangor state exco, who described the move as “unfounded”.
Shamsiah’s memoir was first published by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 2004 and is in its third reprint, while Gerakbudaya published the second title in 2022.
Gerakbudaya yesterday confirmed it was served with a notice from the Home Ministry on the book bans, despite both titles not being included in the prohibition order list. The company said it will challenge the ban.
In calling for the bans to be lifted, Jamaliah said the measure risks narrowing the space for discourse and intellectual culture, and may indirectly create room for more extreme sentiments to develop.
“Therefore, I urge the Home Ministry to review this decision and lift the ban.
“We should not restrict the space for knowledge out of unfounded fear,” she stressed.
Red scare
Meanwhile, the Home Ministry, in a statement, defended the move and stressed that all enforcement actions are based on current assessments and considerations of public security, and not solely on the date of publication of any material.
“All actions are taken lawfully, carefully, and based on legal provisions as well as relevant expertise,” said the ministry, citing provisions under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA).
Among others, the ministry explained that content assessments are conducted in accordance with Section 7 of the PPPA, particularly concerning elements that may be detrimental to public security.
“Based on continuous monitoring and intelligence received, the ministry found that certain publications containing elements and ideology of communism have begun to circulate more openly in the market.
“While previously such materials were distributed in a limited and discreet manner, recent developments indicate a tendency to normalise and glorify such ideology, which clearly runs counter to national security interests,” it said.
“In this context, the ministry rejects allegations that the enforcement action is intended to restrict intellectual freedom or academic discourse.
“Rather, the action is a necessary preventive measure to protect society from the spread of ideologies that could undermine harmony and public order,” said the ministry amid criticisms from various groups defending freedom of expression.
Further, the ministry revealed an ongoing probe into both banned publications and their publishers to ensure compliance with legal requirements, including registration status with the Companies Commission of Malaysia and the Registrar of Societies.
Earlier today, Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung urged the government to be better than its predecessors from Perikatan Nasional and BN, who had not moved to ban the books. - Mkini
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