KUALA LUMPUR – The author of the now-banned graphic novel “When I was a Kid 3” has described the Home Ministry’s decision to do so as unfortunate.
Taking to Instagram, Cheeming Boey, who is currently based in the United States, said that despite writing the book with the purest of intentions, there would be a chance that it could offend others.
“I worked so hard on all my books man, I really, really did.
“You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
“I’m not ready to be that villain yet.
If you are new to my works, I’m sure you will have lots of opinions about me because of the headline, but stay on a while and let me change your mind :),” he said in his Instagram post.
The government banned the graphic novel following protests from an Indonesian non-governmental organisation over the book’s depiction of allegedly unfair criticism against an Indonesian domestic worker employed in Malaysia.
The ban follows a federal gazette published by the Attorney-General’s Chambers on September 25 under the Printing Presses and Publications (Control of Undesirable Publications) (No. 4) Order 2023.
The gazette, signed by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on September 15, states that the minister made the order under subsection 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.
The law stipulates that if the minister is satisfied that a publication contains any element that is in any manner prejudicial to or likely to be prejudicial to public order, morality, or security, he has the discretion to prohibit the circulation of said publication.
“The printing, importation, production, reproduction, publishing, sale, issue, circulation, distribution, or possession of the publication described in the schedule that is likely to be prejudicial to morality is absolutely prohibited throughout Malaysia,” the gazette states.
The document details that the book was written by Cheeming Boey and published by Grey Pigeon Sdn Bhd in English.
In June, it was reported that dozens of Indonesian protestors from a group known as Corong Rakyat had gathered outside the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta, demanding authorities stop the print and sale of the comic book in bookstore chains in Malaysia.
The group had also urged authorities to investigate the motive behind the story and illustrations by Boey, 45, who is said to be a Singaporean-born Malaysian citizen who now resides in the United States. – September 28, 2023