Banned books - letter to the PM

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?