by Io
“When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say.” —George R.R. Martin
Censorship is an issue that has become more and more prevalent to Malaysians with the rise of the internet. Through sites such as Instagram and Twitter, never has it been easier for people to voice and share their criticisms towards institutions and the government. In light of the global pandemic, the mishandling of Malaysia’s COVID-19 situation has many expressing their frustrations towards the government’s incompetency. From this rise of online activism, art has become an even more effective tool for bringing these issues into mainstream conversation. But as the internet has made it easier to distribute and consume political art, Malaysia’s censorship has put the work of these outspoken activists at risk.
A study by Comparitech has Malaysia ranked amongst some of the strictest countries regarding freedom on the internet as of 2021. Prior to the introduction of internet censorship laws, Malaysia has always had strict laws against anything considered “improper” or “indecent” by the government, mostly concerning the content that covers issues relating to religion or politics. This broad subjectivity has allowed those in power to gain more control over what Malaysian people are allowed to write, draw, and criticize. Although these laws are put in place to supposedly benefit the people, it begs the question as to whether this is just a hollow excuse for the government to ignore the issues they lie complicit in. As more and more Malaysian artists face incarceration due to the work they produce, who do these laws actually protect?
Looking across our border, censorship has appeared throughout world history. Although we might assume that censorship simply means to restrict people from viewing certain works, its main objective has always been to suppress ideas that directly go against a regime’s agenda. While overt examples like burning books and paintings are more clear cut, censorship in the Nazi regime also took the form of the “Degenerate Art Exhibition”.
Organized in 1937 by Adolf Ziegler, this exhibition followed the “Great German Art Exhibition” and showcased 650 pieces of confiscated artworks that the Nazis considered an insult to Germany. During the exhibition, Hitler declared a “merciless war” on cultural disintegration and blamed the “collapse and overall decline of Germany” on modern artists like Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner who failed to create what he considered “true art”. Hitler was very explicit about his disdain towards impressionist art, stating that “to be German means to be clear” and argued that all art must strive to portray an objective and realistic beauty. The Nazis worshipped pieces from the Romantic period that depicted intricate landscapes and statuesque people, whilst contemporary works that focused more on individual expression and abstract concepts were considered “artistic fraud” leading to society’s moral decline caused by the artists’ “genetic inferiority”.
It is to no one’s surprise that a fascist governing power such as the Third Reich needed to restrict the German art scene in order to push their own beliefs. By policing artistic expression, modern art became a scapegoat for the Nazis to blame Germany’s socio-economic problems on, directing public outcry towards the artists who brought these issues to light.
While the “Great German Art Exhibition” attracted a sizable crowd, it paled in comparison to the “Degenerate Art Exhibition” which hosted more than 2 million visitors in its 4-month run. Artworks such as Franz Marc’s The Fate of Animals were exhibited alongside outraged slogans demeaning the piece. Though Marc painted The Fate of Animals to depict the chaos and horrors of war, it went against the pro-war sentiment being pushed at the time. As Nazis used propaganda to boast Germany’s victory and strength, pieces like The Fate of Animals destroyed the illusion of glory that the war promised German citizens. This certainly helps to explain why this painting and similar works ended up being seized and exhibited as “degenerate art”. The twisting bodies of the horses in The Fate of Animals showed one man’s feelings of pain towards wars where hundreds of thousands were sent to die for their country, yet when German citizens viewed this piece in the exhibition, they felt disgusted that this could even be considered art.
It’s clear that the goal of this exhibit was never to protect its visitors from harmful art, but to lay the groundwork for what Germans should and should not think; to hate those who they are asked to hate and to not question the lies of the party. With one art exhibition, the Nazis used vitriol and fear to create a society where those that spoke out against them were demonized and censored. The political spectacle of the Degenerate Art Exhibition shows how much power art has over politics and the beliefs of a society. It was only with the fall of the Third Reich that Nazi Degenerate Art was truly appreciated for what it was. But looking at the present, what has changed since then?
While Nazi Germany collapsed in 1945, censorship still exists in many forms in present-day Malaysia. Politicians dictate what or who can be criminalized and despite repeated promises by our government to revise and review old censorship laws to fit the modern era, we’ve only been met with more draconian rules that strip freedom from the people.
Since 2016, activist and illustrator Fahmi Reza has been threatened and criminalized by law for his art concerning former prime minister Najib Razak’s portrayal as a clown. Along with the hashtag #KitaSemuaPenghasut (translated to ‘we are all instigators’), the caricature was created in protest of the massive corruption allegations revolving around Najib’s involvement in the 1MDB scandal. The picture went viral on social media and Fahmi garnered widespread attention and support from the Malaysian people. However, in June of 2016, Fahmi was charged under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which forbids online content deemed to “annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass” others. This wouldn’t be Fahmi’s last time in trouble with the law though. As recently as this year, he was charged under Section 233 again for his art criticizing the current health minister, Dr. Adham Baba, on his inaction towards the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why does a country with a constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression give the governing power the ability to deem what is acceptable to be drawn or depicted? Fahmi’s criticism only brings to light the deep-rooted issues that the Malaysian government refuses to acknowledge and how the law is used as a weapon against the people. These charges have not improved anything for Malaysians at large and only further show that this administration is unwilling to reconcile with its mistakes and listen to its people in favor of saving face. Censoring the artists of Malaysia only protects those who fear what they have to say. In an interview with Vice, Fahmi promises to never stop creating political art and urges us to never stop criticizing the questionable actions of those in power. Following his arrest, Malaysians from across the country have banded together in support of his activism and spotlighting the absurd censorship laws that are in place. The story of Fahmi Reza has shown us that political art has the ability to spark the change needed to upset the narrative that politicians try to push on us. And as more artists rally behind Fahmi’s cause, we are showing those at the top that we are done being complacent.
Fighting against censorship in Malaysia is an uphill battle, and for as many artists who come out victorious, there will be just as many whose voices are stolen from them. While providing a platform for all forms of art, there will be those who use it to spread hate and misinformation; however, censorship is not the solution to this problem. As consumers and creators, we must be critical of not only the government’s actions but also the content we consume. Do your own research and learn more about the political and social landscape you find yourself in. As the cowardice of a crumbling regime tries to outlaw artists from painting the truth, we must realize that our government does not have our best interest in mind.
Speak out against censorship and stand in solidarity with our Malaysian artists. Let the voice of the people be heard.