Lift ban on cartoons, repeal PPPA

Joint Press Statement by CIJ & WAMI
29 June 2010

Lift ban on cartoons, repeal PPPA

The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) and Writers’ Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI) condemn the Ministry of Home Affair’s banning of “1Funny Malaysia”, “Perak Darul Kartun” dan “Isu Dalam Kartun”, all cartoon compilations by Zulkifli Anwar Ulhaque, better known as Zunar.

According to online daily “Malaysiakini”, whose subsidiary Kinibooks is the publisher of “1Funny Malaysia”, the Ministry’s secretary-general Mahmood Adam justified the ban thus: “All three publications have been banned for…contents that can influence the
people to revolt against the leaders and government policies. The contents are not suitable and [are] detrimental to public order.” The report did not state when the ban was imposed, merely quoting the official as saying so on 24 June.

CIJ and WAMI hold that no books should be banned to prevent the circulation of ideas, and that the people should be free to seek and receive them. However, we are particularly appalled by the rationale for the ban, which revealed flagrant partisanship of the civil service toward the government of the day. The civil service, by name and mandate, is supposed to be above politics and serve the public, which includes protecting the people’s right to express what they think of the elected government. The Ministry is being nonsensical to link criticism of the ruling government with public disorder, when the
former is a hallmark of a functioning democracy.

The Ministry also resorted to the undemocratic measure of confiscating the books for “study” in January this year and August last year, a move which has intimidated retailers from selling them.

We call for an immediate lift of the ban and the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act under which the ban is being imposed. Once again, the law is being abused by the state as a political tool for hegemonic purposes rather than to maintain social order.

Issued by

Yip Wai Fong
Communication and Publications Officer, CIJ

Wong Chin Huat

President, WAMI

解禁漫画，废除出版与印刷法令

独立新闻中心与维护媒体独立撰稿人联盟联合文告

2010年6月29日

解禁漫画，废除出版与印刷法令

独立新闻中心（CIJ）与维护媒体独立撰稿人联盟（WAMI）谴责内政部查禁《一个滑稽大马》、《漫画霹雳》和《漫画时事》。祖基菲里安华是这些漫画的编辑，他以“祖纳”的名字著称。

根据网络媒体当今大马，《一个滑稽大马》的出版商是它的子公司。内政部秘书长玛末阿当指出：“这三本刊物被禁的原因是…内容能影响人民起义对抗领袖和政府政策。这些内容不适当及将破坏公共秩序”。报导没有说明禁令何时落实，只是引用6月24日的官方说法。

独立新闻中心（CIJ）与维护媒体独立撰稿人联盟（WAMI）认为，任何书籍都不应被禁止传播观念，人民应有自由寻找和获取书籍的权利。我们对查禁三本漫画的理由感到震惊，公共服务竟然盲目拥护今日之政府。公共服务正如其名，它获得人民的委托，本应超越政治和为公众服务，包括保障人民向民选政府自由表达意见的权利。内政部把批评政府和引起社会动荡相关联是荒谬的，前者是民主制度运行的重要特征。

内政部也以不民主手段，在今年一月和去年八月以“研究”为由没收这批书籍，这个行动已恐吓销售商不敢售卖这些书籍。

我们促请政府马上解禁三本漫画，废除被援引以查禁书籍的出版与印刷法令。这法令已被政府当作政治工具滥用以维持霸权，而非用于维护社会秩序。

发表联合文告单位

叶韦坊

通讯及宣传员，独立新闻中心

黄进发

维护媒体独立撰稿人联盟