Lawyer waits for ministry's instructions on Zunar book ban

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has set Aug 9 for a judicial review of Zunar's challenge of the Home Minister's order to ban the sale and publication of his book "Sapuman: Man of Steal".

Judge Datin Azizah Nawawi today set the date for the review of Zunar, whose real name is Zulkiflee SM Anwarul Haque, in chambers in the presence of his lawyer N. Surendran and senior federal counsel Muzila Mohd Arshad, who is acting on behalf of the Home Minister and the government.
"The lawyer acting for the government and the Home Ministry has asked for a further date as they are seeking fresh instruction from the ministry on whether to proceed. If there is instruction for the ban to be lifted than maybe we will not proceed with the matter," Surendran told reporters outside the courtroom.
However, he added that it would also depend on terms from the Home Ministry as Zunar had also suffered loss due to being unable to sell the book.
Zunar is asking for an order for the gazette of the ban to be cancelled and is also asking for declaration that the action of the old BN (Barisan Nasional) regime is against freedom of speech as guaranteed in the Federal Constitution.
He also urged the new government to abolish Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) 1984.

"The ban is under this act. If this government is serious about the freedom of speech and expression this one has to go first," he said.
Zunar added that the other legislation that should be repealed are the Sedition Act 1948, the Anti Fake News Act 2018, and the Official Secrets Act 1972.
Zunar had filed the application last Jan 2 seeking, among others, to revoke the Home Minister's order, dated Oct 3, 2017 on the book ban, and a declaration that the order was unconstitutional and ultra virus under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.
In the supporting affidavit, Zunar said he had unveiled his new book, which was about current political issues in Malaysia, at the Kuala Lumpur & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall on Sept 13, 2015.
He claimed that the Home Minister, through the Federal Government Gazette, issued an order under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 prohibiting the publication, import, production, publication, sale, distribution and possession of the book in the country.