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A Malay-language translation of an academic book about Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong has been banned by the Home Ministry, the third publication on communist history to be prohibited in quick succession.
The book, Mao Zedong: China dalam Dunia Abad ke-20, is a translation of Mao Zedong and China in the Twentieth-Century World by Rebecca E. Karl, a history professor at New York University.
It was published in 2020 by IBDE Ilham Sdn Bhd, a private company that received funding from the Selangor state government under the Siri Pencerahan Selangor initiative.
The initiative involves a series of educational programs aimed at enhancing the knowledge and awareness among the people of Selangor, focusing on community development and local issues.
The ban took effect on 13 February, gazetted under Section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act, which gives the Home Minister absolute discretion to prohibit any publication deemed undesirable.
No reasons were given.
Publisher: This Is History, Not Propaganda
IBDE’s executive director, Mohd Farhan Nor Affandi, said the book was purely academic and analytical and was never intended to promote or spread communist ideology.
“Understanding something does not mean endorsing it,” he said, adding that the work was written by an internationally recognised historian and reflected standard academic practice worldwide.
The publisher said it remained committed to translating important global works into Malay to broaden access to knowledge and critical thinking.
The Mao Zedong title is the third communist-related publication to be banned in recent weeks.
Last week, Gerakbudaya — a separate publisher — received notice that two of its books had been prohibited: a memoir by prominent Malayan Communist Party figure Shamsiah Fakeh, and Komrad Asi (Rejimen 10): Dalam Denyut Nihilisme Sejarah, published in 2022.
All three books deal with communist history.
All three are biographical or academic in nature.
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The Selangor Dimension
The ban carries an unusual political dimension.
It was funded by the Selangor state government, which is led by Pakatan Harapan — the same coalition that leads the federal government.
The Home Ministry, which issued the ban, sits within that same federal administration.
On social media, readers who had already finished the book rejected the ban’s premise.
Several said the book contained no propaganda and offered a balanced historical account of Mao’s leadership and its consequences.
“Do they think the public is that stupid?” one commenter wrote.
READ MORE: Malaysia Bans Memoir Of Malay Feminist Who Fought British Rule — Two Decades After UKM Published It
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