Silverfish - Writings

The Kuala Lumpur Alternative Bookfest earlier this month was a nice experience. No, seriously. It was small, cozy, friendly and, most of all, I liked the buzz. There was no fear of it becoming another orgy of commercial bookselling -- it was not large enough to be noticed by the 'big boys'. With not a textbook in sight, not one workbook, not one management book, nor one 'teach-others-how-to-live-their-lives' book, it was a breath of fresh air. Most of the books were Malaysian, in Malay and in English, though there were some books from Indonesia and Singapore, which was good given the way our bookshops are overflowing with imported books. It was nice to see book social groups participating. There was also a 'free books' booth, a book charity, apart from indie and self publishers. (Silverfish Books paid for one of the tables that was used to sell books for charity, and supplied the books as well.)

Congratulations to the organisers. Hope you will do this regularly. I am sure there are other publishers who should have been there. Maya Press comes to mind. I understand the necessity to stop somewhere, or this could end up like any other fair. What is alternative? Alternative to what? Sometimes it is easier to define what we don't want, than what we want. I wouldn't want a book fair selling mainly school textbooks and workbooks like the recent KL International Book Fair, so that is one. That was easy. Secondly, it would be nice to be a place that featured only Malaysian books so we don’t get swamped with imported books. How about books from the other ASEAN countries, then? It is nice to have them around. No? Let us leave that out for the moment and stick to local books. Non-fiction books are fine but do I really want to go to a fair with tables full of books on management, self-help and recycled 'wisdom'? Ultimately, it is up to the organisers to decide. For me, I like the mix of the first KLAB -- eclectic but not high-brow, and fun.

I attended only one session, the one by Sisters In Islam on book censorship, Wacana on book banning. Pretty good turnout, I thought. On the panel were V. Gayathry (Centre for Independent Journalism), Astora Jabat (former Chief Editor of Al-Islam and columnist on Islamic affairs in Utusan Malaysia)
, Norhayati Kaprawi (Sisters In Islam) 
 and a phantom representative from Home Ministry. (He was not visible to anyone, nor did he say anything.) The debate went along pretty much predictable lines (we have all heard it before -- they went to the ministry, spoke to some furniture and came back disappointed, how dare that chair tell me what I should read!) but I liked Astora Jabat's presentation on censorship within Islam -- seemed pretty much about power. The poster and the postcard SIS organized for the event was nice.

So will the issue of book banning ever go away? I think not. We will probably have to wait for a gomen baru, lor.

Labels: Censorship, Others

From The Independent:

In another related article, in conjunction with the announcement of special hardback editions of Banned Books by The Independent, Censorship: Still a burning issue Boyd Tonkin asks if the 'thought police will ever learn. Sorry, no sign of it in this country. The good news is that everybody else is in the same boat. The bad new is that everybody else is in the same boat. Earlier his week Amir Muhammad's Apa Khabar Orang Kampong was 'banned', Amir's second movie to suffer that fate. In a telephone conversation, he was not sure if he was looking forward to a hatrick.

Tonkin quotes Bernard Shaw: ' ... assassination is the ultimate form of censorship.' Alexander Litvinenko found out how true that was, as did Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink, and author/journalist Anna Politkovskaya who was shot in the lift of her Moscow apartment. And everyone knows the Orhan Pamuk story.

'Censorship is as old as civilisation itself - and the drive to suppress as strong today as ever.' In the case of Amir's movie, what is being suppressed? The opinions expressed by people interviewed by him? That there are such people as Muslim Communists - no matter how bizarre that sounds? Is the 'official' version of our history really that fragile? Was the decision to ban the movie taken even before it was viewed? After all, two cops from the Brickfields Police Station did cover Amir's talk on the making of AKOK at Silverfish Books some in October 2006. (They were polite, they asked permission.)

Chin Peng has been banned from entering the country. The ban still stands. He is probably the most banned person in the country. He is so banned that uttering his name was almost a crime for a very long time. But the English edition of his book sold 7000 copies, almost a Malaysian record, outsold perhaps only by Shanon Ahmad's Shit. I don't know how the Chinese edition did. Would that many people have watched Amir's movie? Sorry, you lose again.

Back to the article in The Independent: There are some wonderful quotes there, which you use on your blogs to impress your friends, and try and influence people. Also see a list of books that have offended someone in power or other in the past.

Full report: http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/books/features/article2294384.ece

Labels: Censorship

After the infamous Google censorship ‘deal’ with China, it's now Amazon.com's turn.

An old regular customer visited me on Friday and told me an interesting story. He said he tried to order RO Winstedt's A History of Malaya from Amazon.com and was told that the book could not be delivered to a Malaysian address. He told me to try it for myself.

I already have my own copy of the book, but that night when I got home I tried to order the book from Amazon.com. They had 2 used copies at USD16.00 each published by Merican and Sons in 1986. I went through the motions of ordering the book. After I had put in the delivery address I got this window with a message in bold red:

*** We're sorry. This item can't be shipped to the country you selected. You can enter a different shipping address above, or you can remove the item from your order by changing its quantity to 0, then clicking
the Update button. ***


Rather interesting I thought, and does raise all sorts of questions. Is Amazon.com practising selective self-censorship, or are they working on 'instructions'. If so, from whom? Can we have a full list of the books that cannot be shipped to Malaysia? Where can we view it? How many other 'dodgy' countries do Amazon have on their list?

I have read RO Winstedt's A History of Malaya several times and although I do not agree with many of his conclusions and his somewhat condescending views, I cannot see reason why it should be banned in Malaysia. (This book was first published as Part 1, Volume X111 in March 1935 by the Malayan Branch of
the Royal Asiatic Society.)


See image of Amazon.com Checkout page.

Labels: Censorship

Now that the letters (with 50 signatures) to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Culture (and a host of others) have been delivered, what do we do next? Twiddle our thumbs and wait? Wait for what? Something has to be done, yes, but what and by whom? We have been told that this matter was actually raised in the parliament but it was neatly sidestepped and ignored. Truth is, very few in the Government, and in the opposition, actually care. There are more 'important' issues.

Yes, we cannot disagree with that. Like for instance, why are un-elected petty desk officers running the country? Does the Minister know what is going on? Do the senior officers in the Ministry have any control over what is happening on the ground?

A representative of one of the distributors was in the office sometime last week. Where is the list of banned books you promised, we asked him. No lah, my boss does not want to get involved, he said, After they stop all our shipment from Singapore … susah lah. We told him that, perhaps, they should stop selling books and switch to selling rice, sugar and ikan bilis instead, for all the testicular fortitude they have. This is precisely what book banners and book burners thrive on: fear. And book banning and book burning is where it all starts.

Truth is, we know very well how things happen (and or don't happen) in this country. Don't rock the boat; accept all humiliation, every injustice, live in disgrace and make money. Dignity is for losers. That should be our national motto.

Anyway while we wait for anything, if at all, to happen let us entertain ourselves with extracts from the three newspaper articles on the subject that appeared recently:

3rd December 2006, The Star: Deputy Internal Security Minister, Datuk Fu Ah Kiow is quoted, "We ban titles, not authors." Good YAB Tim Mentri. Then why are all titles by Salman Rusdie being stopped at Johor Baru? Are you aware of this? Do you have any control?

4th December 2006, The Sun: The secretary of the publications and Quranic texts control division, Che Din Yusoh said that the Minister could use "absolute discretion' to "gazette undesirable publications". Another good one. Question: is this power also given to every desk officer in the division? But the following is interesting: 'Che Din said … that officers at each entry point might have different lists'. Huh? Might have? But this is one takes the cake: As the country's moral guardian, we cannot let these books in. Did that make you cringe with shame? Yes, yes, we actually still have senior government officers in this country who can say such things in public without embarrassment. (And, yes, it will be year 2007 soon.)

5th December 2006, The Sun: Prof Lim Chee Seng has a few things to say: In a democracy, you should be training people to deal with these books ... and not try to keep the books away from them as if they were children, and, of course, there is the Prof Lim's quote from IR Richards "... a book is a machine to think with ..."

That explains everything, doesn't it? Is there a politician in the world who likes a population that can think?

Labels: Censorship

It was another routine stock replenishment order. Then came the shock: the distributor is unable to supply copies of Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children because the book had been 'restricted' in Malaysia by the KDN.

Our initial reaction was to laugh out loud. Who are these people? Midnight's Children, published in 1980, won the Booker in 1981 and won the Booker of Bookers in 1993. Every self-respecting reader in the country has not only read the book, but owns a special sentimental copy. Now, after 26 years, some barely literate little Napoleon - to borrow Pak Lah's term - sitting behind a KDN desk in Johor Bahru has decided that the book is not suitable for Malaysians.

We spoke to the distributor of this title. He confirmed that all Salman Rushdie books are now getting the 'treatment'. He related how he tried to ship in the hardback edition of Shalimar the Clown, and was told that it was 'restricted'. He didn't argue. He says he never argues, because he wants the rest of the shipment to go through. This is how all Malaysian (and Singaporean) shippers are treated. If they decide to argue, every single one of the hundred odd boxes will be detained for 'further inspection', if not ripped open right there on the tarmac. If a complaint is made 'further up', this treatment can be expected for every subsequent shipment. It is not surprising then that distributors prefer to suffer in silence, while we readers live in Coetzee's Disgrace, where victimising victims and shooting messangers is a national culture.

(I want to tell you an interesting story here. This was some years ago, during the Khalil Gibran incident, when I was young and foolish enough to think that I could clear books from KLIA on my own without an agent. The book was Sex, Scotch and Scholarship by Kushwant Singh. It was quite obvious that the woman in charge recognised at least one of the 's' words. She kept turning the book over and over, flipping through the pages, peering at the written words as if trying to find something - I suppose, incriminating. Faris and I watched, quite amused. Finally she returned the book to the box. "Too many words," Faris said.)

Anyway coming back to the distributor, some weeks later he tried to import another bunch of books with the paperback edition of Shalimar the Clown in it. To use his words regarding Salman Rushdie's books: ... they are not consistent ... depends on luck, if they happen to see kena la. (For the information of those who don't know, every shipment of books must be accompanied by a packing list.) So the 'restriction' of books depends on who is sitting behind that desk at any point in time, what the person had for breakfast, his 'current' relationship with his wife, parents, in-laws and children and probably, lunar cycles ... amongst others.)

We have managed to get a list of over a hundred from (only) one distributor and we have posted it here for your information, entertainment and outrage. We suspect your reactions will follow a pattern similar to ours. First, laughter. What were they thinking? Some of the titles are really bizarre. Next, sadness. What's wrong with these guys? What's wrong with this country? Then, outrage. Who the hell is this little Napolean, who can barely spell his own name, to tell me what I can and cannot read? And finally: If this is how the KDN operates, how about the other Ministries and Departments? (There are obviously two layers of lawmakers in this country. One: the elected Government and Members of Parliament. Two, a Kafkaesque brigade of barely literates sitting behind desks in various government departments making rules as they like, when they like, as they go along.) Is that a scary thought or what? (Don't be alarmed by the high pitch, whining noise you here at this point. It is a well documented feature of little - and, sometimes, big - Napoleon-dom.)

Guide to using THE LIST: Get a few friends. Type the ISBN number as it appears, into Amazon or Google to get details of the book. Giggle. Try and guess why it has been 'restricted'. (It is more fun if you have your friends around you and your computer, peering over your shoulders and making irreverent comments. Advice: irreverent is good. Try not to get too serious because your sanity is at stake here.) Make a game of it. Count the number of 'restricted' books on the list you and your friends have. No cheating, you must produce the book as evidence. Decide what the winner gets. Then have a party. Read passages from the book, especially those that you think might have offended the little Napoleons. (I know, I know: they can't read. Just pretend, okay?) After you have milked enough fun out of it, adjourn to the nearest mamak shop for some sickly sweet tea, roti canai and outrage.

Note 1: some of you might say, "But I have seen that book in the shops!" You will be absolutely right. They would have been imported directly by air, or they might be old stock. The books on the list have been seized by the KDN staff in Johor Bahru and the distributors have been issued with 'restriction' orders. But the same books may have been legally imported through KLIA for instance. Who is calling George Bush a cowboy?! It is only a matter of degree.

Note 2: The undisputed champion on the list is Salman Rushdie, but you will also find Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Anthony Burgess and Alan Hollinghurst.

Labels: Censorship

Sharon sent me an email yesterday morning if it was true that Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. I know the book has been making its rounds for a while. I have not read the book myself; firstly because I have a certain aversion to big books these days, and secondly, due to my own personal prejudices. (One Tamil boy called Patel is enough.) Anyway, I made a few phone calls and confirmed the worst.


This is the third book this month. So far this year the distributors have told us that we cannot order the following books because they have been banned. The Malayan Trilogy by Anthony Burgess, Immortality and Laughable Loves by Milan Kundera, 1001 Arabian Nights, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang and, Penguin says, all books by Khalil Gibran.


I have also been busy trying to acquire a list of banned books, I mean books that have actually been banned ie gazetted as prohibited under the Printing Presses and Publications (Control of Undesirable Publications) Act, for a long time - ever since all my Khalil Gibrans got nicked by the KDN at KLIA seven years ago, despite the books being available in every other bookshop in KL at that time. Anyway, I finally managed to get one with the help of some friends. I have posted it in PDF format if you'd like to take a look at it. (Read it here, some of it is really funny. Good party material. There is even one called Kunci Mencari Rezeki (2002) published by a company called the Speedy Self Study System!! Go figure.)


From the list one can conclude that that the government has major issues with sex, religion and, to a much smaller extent, drugs. Many of the banned books on sex are in Chinese and a few in English. One interesting note: the Chinese translation of Lady Chatterley's Lover (2000) has been banned, but not the English original. Hmmm! I don't know much about the Chinese books, but there is a certain surrealism about the English list. I mean, this is a country that allows free import and distribution of 'hard-core' porn Fanny Hill (what do they think that it is, a schoolgirl mystery novel?) and prebuscent children are allowed to watch and imitate MTV or Channel V which, to me, is little more that soft porn.


I wonder how many of you read this June 23, 2006 report Porn Up, Rape Down Anthony D'Amato Of Northwestern University - School of Law in the US. Here is the abstract: The incidence of rape in the United States has declined 85% in the past 25 years while access to pornography has become freely available to teenagers and adults. The Nixon and Reagan Commissions tried to show that exposure to pornographic materials produced social violence. The reverse may be true: that pornography has reduced social violence. (Read it here.)


There is no necessity to get your knickers in a knot over that report. You don't have to agree with it. But to me, it does stand to reason. This should mean that countries with more liberal attitudes and policies towards sex, should have less sex crimes. Is that a fact? It sure appears that way from afar.


And how about religion? Is religious tolerance directly proportional to liberal politics and society, or the reverse?


Anyway, coming back to book banning; one there is the official ban with the papers signed off by the Home Minister or his Deputy, then there is the other 'ban', arbitrary and unpredictable. It is almost as if there are two authorities running in parallel. The first one is quite clear-cut (even if you don't agree with it). The second is pure Kafka. Case in point: none of the books that have been proscribed by the KDN this year (according to the distributors) have been gazetted. Is the Minister aware of this?

Labels: Censorship

Commonwealth Prize

We received an email and entry forms for the 2007 Prize recently from an assistant working on the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, a literary award established in 1987 to 'reward the upsurge of new Commonwealth fiction and ensure that works of merit reach a wider audience outside their country of origin'. (Previous winners include, Andrea Levy, Louis de Bernieres, J.M. Coetzee, Zadie Smith and Vikram Seth.)

As we know, The Prize is open to any Commonwealth citizen and any work of fiction is eligible with the exception of any work written for children alone, or drama or poetry. (From their website.)

They said they were currently updating their publisher lists for the 2007 Prize. It’s great that Silverfish Books has been noticed by The Commonwealth Writer's Prize organisation. Now, if only we had writers to nominate ...

More books banned in Malaysia

Latest in the list of casualties is Immortality and Laughable Loves by Milan Kundera. We can practically hear your, wha-aa-at? We can only say, to those who are new here, "Welcome to Malaysia."

Labels: Censorship, Others