PUTRAJAYA: The Home Ministry will strengthen its engagement with the publishing industry, including holding preliminary discussions with publishers before taking action against their publications.
It said the move was decided following an engagement session between the ministry and members of the Malaysian Book Publishers Association on Tuesday to discuss issues and current developments in the local publishing industry.
The ministry added that the initiative forms part of efforts to improve processes to make them more transparent and constructive.
“At the same time, the ministry will review and reassess Prohibition Orders on publications that have been gazetted, taking into account the views and suggestions put forward by stakeholders.
“The ministry always respects and welcomes freedom of creative expression and intellectual discourse, and appreciates the development of writing creativity in the country,” it said in a statement yesterday, Bernama reported.
However, the ministry stressed that all publications must comply with legal provisions and must not contain elements that could jeopardise public safety, harmony and well-being.
As such, it urged all parties to give the ministry space to manage publication-related matters in a balanced manner, taking into account both creative freedom and the public interest.
On April 16, Bandar Utama assemblyman Jamaliah Jamaluddin expressed disappointment over the Home Ministry’s decision to impose a prohibition order on the book Memoir Shamsiah Fakeh: Dari Awas ke Rejimen Ke-10.
“Memoir Shamsiah Fakeh has been published for more than two decades and has been reprinted several times.
“Its content is more of a narrative of her life journey and experiences,” she said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
Jamaliah also warned that the ministry’s drastic action could narrow the space for discourse and intellectual culture in the country.
“Moreover, it could indirectly pave the way for more extreme sentiments.
“I urge the ministry to review this decision and withdraw the prohibition order,” she said.
Jamaliah, who is also a Selangor exco member and the granddaughter of Shamsiah Fakeh – a member of the Communist Party of Malaya’s 10th Regiment – said the move was unfounded, as the publication has been in circulation since 2004 without triggering any extremist activity.
Apart from the book on Shamsiah, enforcement action was also taken against Komrad Asi (Rejimen 10): Dalam Denyut Nihilisme Sejarah.
