From Martin Vengadesan
I was dismayed to read a post by publisher Gerakbudaya indicating that the memoirs of two Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) members have been banned.
According to the publisher, it was served with a notice from the home ministry on the banning of the memoir of Shamsiah Fakeh entitled Memoir Shamsiah Fakeh: Dari Awas ke Rejimen ke-10.
The other book to suffer this fate was Komrad Asi (Rejimen 10): Dalam Denyut Nihilisme Sejarah.
I have to question the logic behind banning books that have been in circulation for many years.
As a reporter with The Star, I interviewed the late Shamsiah in 2008, a few months before her passing. I read her memoir as part of my preparation for the interview, and her story is a most fascinating one that sheds light on forgotten eras of our history.
In 2009, I travelled to southern Thailand in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the CPM’s laying down of arms and met and spoke to former leaders Chin Peng and Abdullah CD.
I also read their memoirs. Whatever you believe about their actions, they were most definitely weakened and harmless at the point at which I met them, and their stories deserved to be told.
My own mentor, the late Syed Husin Ali, placed great emphasis on learning our history so that we can understand how we arrived where we are today, and use those lessons to shape the future.
Just a few months ago, my friend Ranjit Singh Malhi published a book entitled Forgotten Malaysian History: Restoring Voices, Reclaming Truths.
We should not fear the past but seek to learn from it. If nothing else, the timing of such a ban is particularly absurd.
At a time when there are those using freedom of speech to promote divisive ideologies and hate speech between religions and races, why should memoirs recounting a distant era be viewed as a threat?
Martin Vengadesan, a former editor, currently serves as a strategic communications consultant to the communications ministry.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.