MALAYSIA: They Still Ban Books and Shackle Minds?

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Anil Netto

PENANG, Malaysia, May 4 2005 (IPS) - -When Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi took over the reins of power in Malaysia in late 2003, he was widely expected to usher in a new era of openness and tolerance of differing views. But, of late, a slew of books offering alternative or critical views on a range of subjects have been banned, confiscated or monitored while their authors have come under fire or indirect pressure.

It is all a far cry from the hope of tolerance and openness that Abdullah’s takeover promised.

”He did give the impression he was willing to listen to the people. He did advise political leaders that they should take heed of the public’s comments and views,” recalls media analyst Mustafa Kamal Anuar.

But contrary to expectations, that did not lead to more democratic space.

”It should have translated into encouragement of investigative journalism and freedom of the press and of expression,” Mustafa tells IPS.

Instead, he noted, things were made worse, as a couple of prominent bloggers squirmed in their seats when they found themselves the objects of official scrutiny. The popular independent website ‘Malaysiakini’, too, felt the heat after an April Fool’s joke on its website wound up senior officials the wrong way, while its application for a licence for a print publication seems unlikely to be approved.

Abdullah succeeded Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister in October 2003, when Asia’s longest-serving elected leader retired after 22 years in power.

In March 2004 Mr Abdullah was sworn in for a new, five-year term after his coalition government won a landslide victory in parliamentary and regional elections. Correspondents said the victory boosted the prime minister’s chances of pushing through his package of democratic reforms, including a promise to stamp out corruption.

In contrast to his predecessor, Abdullah has been described as self-effacing. He has been called the ”Mr Nice Guy” of Malaysian politics.

But appearances can be deceiving.

More recently, it is the traditional media – books, to be precise – that have drawn the most official reaction. Indeed, there appears to be limited tolerance for books offering more critical, controversial or alternative views especially on subjects deemed sensitive by the state such as religious interpretation that does not conform with the state’s.

Unlike newspapers and magazines, the publication of books in Malaysia does not require a permit. But the monitoring, confiscation or banning comes after the books have been released.

”There is freedom of expression – but not freedom after expression,” goes a familiar joke among Malaysians.

The president of the opposition Islamic Party of Malaysia, PAS, Abdul Hadi Awang, discovered this first-hand.

PAS officials reportedly alleged that Home Ministry officers had seized copies of his latest book, ‘Hadharah Islamiyyah bukan Islam Hadhari’ (‘Islamic Civilisation, Not Civilised Islam’), in several parts of the country. The book apparently challenges the civilisational Islam (or Islam Hadhari) that Abdullah has been promoting since taking over.

It is not just local books that have come under scrutiny.

Last month, it was revealed that a ban had been imposed on 11 books on religion, spirituality and Islam, written by foreign authors, on the grounds that they were ”detrimental to public order.”

Two of the books were by author Karen Armstrong, including the best-selling ‘A History of God’, a comparative study of monotheistic faiths. Other banned titles among the 11 were ‘Mercy Oceans’ Lovestream’ by Sheikh Nazim Al-Qubrusi; ‘The Cross and the Crescent’ by Phil Parshall; and ‘Messiah War in the Middle East & Road to Armageddon’ by Grant R. Jeffrey.

”The decision of the Ministry to ban the books concerned is clearly retrogressive and does not square with the government’s aspiration of creating a knowledge based society,” opposition Democratic Action Party politician Teresa Kok points out in a statement. She adds that people should have the fundamental freedom of access to all information – not only information that the authorities deem appropriate.

Books on subjects other than religion have also been targeted.

Last month, writer Mohammad Rafi Awg Kecil, who had just published a book that alleged corrupt practices by the chief minister of central Selangor state, found himself the focus of unwanted attention instead.

Before his book ‘Khir Toyo: Di Antara Amanah dan Khianat’ (‘Khir Toyo: Between Trust and Betrayal’) could reach bookshops, police allegedly demanded that he hand over all 5,000 copies to them and even visited the printers twice.

Mohammad said he was also approached by politicians offering hundreds of thousands of dollars not to release the book.

”I told them I didn’t write the book to sell my soul. I wrote the book to be with the people,” he was quoted as saying. ”Although all this is new to me, it does not scare me. If at all, it motivates me… this will not be my last book!"

In March, book-vendors were ‘advised’ not to sell copies of another controversial book ‘Khairy Jamaluddin – Future Prime Minister?’ by Yahaya Ismail, pending a government decision on whether to ban it. The book puts the spotlight on Abdullah’s fast-rising son-in-law and speculates on his future path to the nation’s top job.

Even Universiti Kebangsan Malaya (the National University of Malaya) has felt the heat.

Its publication about an ageing former communist party leader sparked a heated reaction in the forum and letters pages of a leading pro-establishment Malay language daily. The university was accused of lending credibility to the communist struggle and of projecting the communists as warriors and heroes in the country’s struggle for independence. The sharp reaction in the Malay-language press prompted the university to set up a high-powered internal inquiry into the book.

Ironically, Malaysians are notorious for not reading enough serious material and educators have often urged Malaysians – many of whom would much rather slouch before the television – to cultivate the reading habit.

”If we keep banning books, we will continue to impose our anti-intellectualism on the people,” says ‘Malaysiakini’ columnist, Azly Rahman in a recent commentary. ”We wish to live as a nation of readers, not a nation of efficient propaganda consumers, lazy thinkers and electronically- shackled beings.”

The onus should be on the authorities to prove its case, say critics.

”Unless the authorities can show that such books will really jeopardise national security, they have no grounds to ban or crack down on such books,” argues Mustafa.