On Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs conducted a search for “banned books” at the independent bookstore Gerakbudaya, but found nothing.
Gerakbudaya jokingly said on Facebook that today (the 14th) coincides with Valentine's Day, and this was the Ministry's “Valentine's date” with them.
“Our Valentine's date! They were looking for 'banned books', but didn't find anything. Do you think we would have any?”
Last Saturday (February 8), the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a statement saying that three books could potentially harm the moral values of Malaysian society, and therefore decided to issue a ban.
The ban has been promulgated under the Government Gazette pursuant to the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (Act 301) and took effect on January 21 and 22, 2025.
“The ban implemented under Act 301 is based on the concept of control and prevention, to preemptively safeguard against threats or harm before they occur.”
“Meanwhile, this also helps raise public awareness and vigilance regarding publications that are unsuitable for public reading.”
The three books are “My Shadow Is Purple” by Scott Stuart, “Koleksi Puisi Masturbasi” by Benz Ali, and “All That’s Left In The World” by Erik J. Brown.