KUALA LUMPUR – Local author Benz Ali has no immediate plans to initiate legal action against the Home Ministry following the raid on his bookstore in Wisma Central, here yesterday. He is instead committed to keeping the issue alive by raising awareness about it.
Benz told Scoop he hopes the government will take note of the public backlash against the raid, which saw the seizure of two Malay books, namely Marx the Revolutionary Educator by Robin Smalls and Koleksi Puisi Masturbasi (Masturbation Poetry Collection) written by Benz himself.
“We’ll shake things up first, for now. Let’s see what happens,” he said, pointing to how his Facebook post recounting the incident had already garnered upwards of 500 shares and more than 200 comments, as of press time.
Jesting that he lacks the financial funds to appoint a legal representative, Benz, who is said to have had a history of activism with Pakatan Harapan (PH), as well as participating in the underground arts and literary scene, said that he had vented about the experience to “send a message” to authorities.
“Let them know that even those in the local book scene don’t like these acts (of raiding and confiscating books),” he said.
He also questioned why books were being confiscated under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership, as Anwar himself is known to be an intellectual with a deep respect for literary icons and their works.
“(Anwar) is renowned for loving to read books and quoting various notable figures such as (Turkiye president) Erdogan, (Egyptian Islamic scholar) Yusuf al-Qaradawi, (English playwright) William Shakespeare and (Muslim scholar) Nuruddin ar-Raniri.
“Why do book confiscations exist under his administration? Let Anwar Ibrahim and (Home Minister Datuk Seri) Saifuddin Nasution reflect on this.”
Yesterday, it was reported that Benz’s Toko Buku Rakyat bookstore was raided by four officials from the Home Ministry, who cited the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) 1984, when pressed by Benz on why the books were being confiscated.
Scoop has reached out to Saifuddin for comment and is awaiting his response.
On August 10, the Home Ministry banned Swatch watches containing LGBTQ+ elements, with the prohibition order being gazetted under Section 7 of the same act.
Any individual caught printing, importing, producing, publishing, selling, or being in possession of the watches may be charged with three years of imprisonment, a fine of no more than RM20,000, or both. – August 18, 2023