Home minister revokes ban on Shamsiah Fakeh’s memoir

KUALA LUMPUR: Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has lifted the ban on the memoirs of Shamsiah Fakeh, a former leader of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM). The decision was made based on Saifuddin's authority under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984. The ban was imposed on her memoir, "Memoir Shamsiah Fakeh: Dari Awas ke Rejimen Ke-10," as well as another memoir by CPM member Aziz Suriani, titled "Komrad Asi (Rejimen 10): Dalam Denyut Nihilisme Sejarah."

Both books were banned in February due to alleged communist elements and ideologies. However, publisher Chong Ton Sin sought to challenge the bans, arguing that they were irrational since the books had been circulating for years. Chong's lawyer later withdrew the legal challenges. Critics, including Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung and DAP's Bandar Utama assemblyman Jamaliah Jamaluddin, who is Shamsiah's granddaughter, had also expressed disappointment with the ministry's decision, stating that the memoirs focused on Shamsiah's life journey and experiences without inciting any extremist activity.