Your report that Yahaya Ismail's 304-page book entitled Khairy Jamaluddin Bakal Perdana Menteri? has been ordered to be taken off the market following 'advice' by the police is shocking, more so since the book is not officially banned.
It is also disturbing that the Home Ministry had threatened to confiscate copies of the book if they were continued to be sold in bookshops. It is most amusing to note that the ministry's spokeperson said that the book was controversial because of the title.
We must not forget that Article 10 of the Federal Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of expression. I do not see how a book speculating on who would the next prime minister may be said to be against the 'interest of the security of the Federation'.
Or against 'friendly relations with other countries' or against 'public order or morality and restrictions designed to protect the privileges of parliament of any legislative assembly'.
The Malaysian government must act with greater maturity and should always promote the freedom of speech and expression. In 2005, it is embarrassing for Malaysia to be banning publications that merely speculate on events yet to happen.
If there is anything defamatory in the said book, then it should be left to the defamed person to take up a court action against the author and the publisher. Surely only suggesting that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will not become the next premier of Malaysia cannot be a cause for banning the book.
Politics, after all, is never certain and the question of who will be the country's next prime minister is still a question mark.
The prime minister, the home minister or the internal security minister should act immediately remove any restrictions on the sale of Khairy - Future PM? or alternatively just officially ban it . To remove the book from the market for the reason that it must be studied first to determine whether to ban it is not acceptable.
Respect the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression and lift the unnecessary restriction placed on the sale and distribution of this book which has been in the market since last year.
