Jimmy TanThe women’s wing of Democratic Action Party (DAP) Selangor has questioned the Home Ministry’s recent ban on two historical memoirs, raising concerns over the timing and rationale behind restricting works that have circulated for decades.
In a statement, DAP Wanita Selangor highlighted the prohibition of Memoir Shamsiah Fakeh: Dari AWAS ke Rejimen Ke-10 and Komrad ASI (Rejimen 10): Dalam Denyut Nihilisme Sejarah, expressing solidarity with its vice-chairperson and Bandar Utama assemblywoman Jamaliah Jamaluddin, granddaughter of the late Shamsiah Fakeh.
The wing questioned the sudden move, asking, “Why now?” It pointed to the irony of banning the Shamsiah Fakeh memoir, first published by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 2004 and widely available for over two decades without prior issue.
“Malaysians are mature enough to evaluate information critically. The people should not be treated as incapable of thinking or making their own judgments,” the wing stated, adding that arbitrary bans risk eroding public trust in democratic institutions.
Wider backlash from publishers and civil society
The decision has drawn broader criticism from civil society and the literary community. Independent publisher Gerakbudaya announced plans to challenge the ban, arguing that suppressing historical accounts limits intellectual discourse.
PEN Malaysia also voiced concern, warning that such actions could narrow the country’s historical narrative into a single, state-sanctioned version.
In response, the Home Ministry maintained that its actions were based on current security assessments, citing the need to curb the normalisation of ideologies deemed contrary to national interests.
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