Malaysia book ban irks rights group

Activists in Malaysia have demanded an inquiry into a government ban on 56 books, saying the move violated fundamental rights to freedom of expression and information.

Rights group Suaram on Friday lodged a protest with the government's Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) calling for an investigation into the banning of the books.

Yap Swee Seng, Suaram's executive director, told AFP: "We want to know the reasons behind the ban and we hope Suhakam can look into whether the reasons given are valid and justifiable from the perspective of human rights."

Most of the books the Internal Security Ministry website lists as banned are related to religion, and Islam in particular, although some tackle race, illegal drugs and sex.

Religion and race

One book documents bloody race riots that erupted in 2001 in a rundown suburb of Kuala Lumpur, shocking Malaysia, where ethnic clashes are rare.

Race and religion are considered sensitive topics by the government of mainly Muslim Malaysia, while sex and sexuality are also taboo areas.

Suaram said it was "unacceptable" that academic titles such as The Battle for God: Fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam by Karen Armstrong, and John L Esposito's What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam were banned.

The organisation said: "The ban of academic works by the ministry is a death knell to academic freedom in Malaysia.

"More importantly, the ban of these books violates the freedom of expression of the authors and the right to receive and impart information freely of the general public."

The group called for authors to be given the right to appeal the ban and to seek redress in Malaysian courts if the ministry rejected the appeal.

Other titles on the banned list include Cannabis Culture, Weed World and Classic Nude Photography Techniques and Images.


Books banning - 'death knell' for academic freedom-Suaram

Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has been urged to launch an independent inquiry into the banning of 56 books by the government.

Among the books, is March 8 by K Arumugam which chronicles the 2001 Kampung Medan racial clashes.

In a memorandum submitted to Suhakam today, rights group Suaram said an inquiry must be held to determine if the reasons for the ban are valid and justified.

It also called on the commission to ensure that policies of the government and the legislation in the country concerning the banning of books are in line with human rights.

Suaram said the authorities must also inform the authors, publishers, importers and distributors efficiently of the decision.
Suhakam was also urged to ensure the right of authors to appeal for a review of the decision and to seek legal redress if necessary.

Apart from this, the human rights commission was also asked to reconsider its decision to hold a public inquiry into the Kampung Medan incident.

As for March 8, Suaram said the Tamil-language book contained information already available in the public domain.

“It is mind boggling that the Internal Security Ministry actually imposed a ban on the book,” read the memorandum.

“The action only further reinforces suspicions that the government has something to hide in its handling of this racial bloodshed, given the fact that the government has failed to initiate any independent investigation into the incident to hold anyone accountable,” it added.

Denial of history

Suaram said the author was not informed about the ban at any time or the reasons as to why his book suffered such a fate.

“The author did not even know until someone told him that his book was listed in the banned books list on the ministry’s website,” it added.

Suaram blamed the arbitrariness of such actions by the authorities on the restrictive Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA).

In an interview with malaysiakini last month, March 8 author Arumugam described the banning of his book as a denial of history.

Meanwhile, Suaram also expressed concern over the banning of academic titles such as Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species, Karen Armstrong’s The Battle for God Fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam and scores of other books.

“It is evident in history that the freedom of expression is critical for the advancement and progression of human society. It is also in this environment that a great civilization flourishes.

“The ban of academic books by the ministry is a death knell to academic freedom in Malaysia. It certainly does not bode well with the aspiration of the government to transform the country into a regional hub for allocation,” it said.

Malaysia suaram book ban