The Home Ministry should internally investigate the raid and seizure of two books from an independent bookstore last week as it is a clear example of excessive enforcement, said PKR’s Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung.
This is because the ministry cannot invoke Section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 to simply confiscate any publications deemed to be unsuitable, he said.
“The ministry’s orders to ban any publications or printed materials are only valid after it is gazetted.
“This raid clearly shows that it is excessive enforcement from the officers. Such arbitrary actions, especially after the state elections, raise doubts about officers acting outside the jurisdiction of the law,” Lee said in a statement on his Facebook today.
It also goes against the spirit of Madani Malaysia, which emphasises the importance of respect towards different viewpoints, he said.
“As such, I urge the Home Ministry to conduct an internal investigation and correct its means and goals of its enforcement immediately,” he said.
Home Ministry officials raided the Toko Buku Rakyat bookstore in Kuala Lumpur, which is owned by independent writer Benz Ali, on Aug 18.
The two books seized were ‘Marx the Revolutionary Educator’ (Marx Sang Pendidik Revolusioner) written by Robin Small and ‘Masturbation Poetry Collection’ (Koleksi Puisi Masturbasi), written by Benz himself.
Saifuddin, however, earlier today insisted that Home Ministry officials are empowered under the PPPA to act upon public complaints and that both books will be returned to Benz if found to not contain any elements that could trigger public unrest.
He also defended the enforcement action, stating that taking only two books was not tantamount to a raid.
PKR Youth and PSM have also previously criticised the raid and seizure of the books.
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