Home Ministry gazettes ban on 'When I Was A Kid 3'
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 — The Home Ministry has today gazetted a Prohibition Order against author Cheeming Boey’s comic book When I Was A Kid 3.
This has been executed through the Government Gazette P.U.(A) 283 dated September 25, announced by the ministry.
“This Prohibition Order is in line with the provisions under Section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 which regulates printing, importing, reproduction, publication, sale, production, circulation, distribution or ownership of the results of the publication is strictly prohibited in Malaysia.
“The government would like to express its continued commitment to implementing regulatory action especially to prevent the spread of elements, understanding, and a movement that contradicts the local socio-culture that can be threatening national harmony and unity for the sake of common well-being.
“In this case, the result of the publication is subject to Prohibition Order action because it is the result of a publication that is harmful or may be harmful to morals, public interest, and the interest of the State by causing concern and anxiety in the community,” it said in a statement here.
The ministry added that based on the provisions under Section 8(2) of the Act any individual who prints, imports, produce, reproduce, publish, sell, produce, circulate, offer to sell, distribute, or is in possession of anything meaning such as any result of the publication of the prohibition to commit an offence and may, on conviction, be imprisoned for a term not exceeding three years or fined not exceeding RM20,000 or both.
The Home Ministry had in a statement on September 27 sent through the Attorney General’s Chambers said the government was exercising its powers under subsection 7(1) of the Printing Press and Publications Act 1984.
The subsection states that the printing, importation, production, reproduction, publishing, sale, issue, circulation, distribution or possession of the publication described in the Schedule which is likely to be prejudicial to morality is absolutely prohibited throughout Malaysia.
In June, dozens of Indonesians gathered outside of the Malaysian embassy to protest the sale of Boey’s comic book over one of its pages that denigrates an Indonesian maid working in Malaysia.
Protesters from a non-governmental organisation known as Corong Rakyat demanded the authorities stop the printing and sale of the comic book in several bookstore chains in Malaysia.
Boey has since issued a public apology over the matter.
In the chapter, he described how his father, back in the day, wanted to show him how fast his Indonesian domestic worker could climb a coconut tree. However, his father then likened the helper to a monkey climbing a tree to pluck coconuts.
