Kim Quek, has applied to the High Court at Kuala Lumpur on Nov 4 for leave to apply for a judicial review to declare the police seizure of his book ‘The March to Putrajaya' null and void and to remove the Home Minister's order to ban the book.

NONE "On 19th Aug, police swooped on bookshops in various parts of the country to seize and remove my books without proper legal grounds." he said in a statement.

His lawyers wrote to the police on Sept 15 to request for the return of the books.

But on Sept 22 the minister signed an order to ban the book, followed by gazetting the ban on Sept 27.

Kim Quek said the reasons given for the ban were unfounded.

Although the book contains criticism of the BN, he said these were comments and analyses based on facts that already in the public domain.

He had also advocated a change of government due to the lack of meaningful reforms by the incumbent political power.

"I have only been exercising my right under the constitution to express my views," he said.

"Should any party consider himself injured by what he considers as fraudulent presentation and malicious slander by me, then it is for the party concerned to sue me.

NONE "But to let loose the police on a rampage to harass the bookshops and worse, to arbitrarily ban the book simply because it is deemed detrimental to the political fortune of the ruling party, is the height of lawlessness that must be unequivocally condemned by every democratic society."

Kim Quek ( left ) added there have been far too many instances of wanton harassment of bookshops, publishers and writers and whimsical banning of books by the authorities.

"It is high time that people who still cherish the democratic way of life make a concerted effort to put a stop to this stifling of free aspiration of our people.

"It is with this in mind that I have embarked on the present legal course with the earnest hope to make a contribution towards the democratisation of our country," he said.