WELCOME to Zunar’s ideal world.

In this world, he should be able to lampoon the powerful, the famous and fearsome in his cartoons anytime, every time without fear of reprisals.

In this world, Barisan Nasional will finally be ousted from power and Malaysia will be governed by the Opposition, and the country will be able to breathe again.

In Zunar’s world, he should not have to be defensive about the prime minister’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, being a favourite feature of his cartoons.

In reality, Malaysia’s most famous and controversial cartoonist is facing nine charges under the Sedition Act and could end up spending up to 43 years in jail‎.

He is running out of printers who are willing to print his cartoons, the result of a campaign of harassment by government agencies.

He is banned from leaving Malaysia. And he lives in constant fear of being picked up by the police, spending time in the lock-up and having his cartoons seized.

“The fear is there, but I won’t slow down. I will use my arrest and persecution as motivation to carry on my work despite the adversities.

“My talent is a God-given gift and it is my responsibility to use it to expose corruption,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Zunar, whose real name is Zulkiflee SM Anwar Ulhaque, has been unpopular with the government court since the Mahathir years with his stinging take on Malaysian politicians through his cartoons.

But the government has taken a tougher stand on his work in recent years, coinciding with his rise in popularity and his take-no-prisoners approach.

On Nov 26, 2016, Zunar was arrested, detained and investigated under the Sedition Act and the Penal Code.

Last year, he was forced to call off his exhibition in Penang due to an attack by pro-government supporters and was banned from travelling abroad by the Malaysian government.

Yesterday, the Kuala Lumpur High Court granted Zunar leave to challenge the travel ban.

On April 2, 2015, Zunar was slapped with nine charges under the Sedition Act and facing a possible 43 years in jail.

On Feb 28, 2015, more than 20 policemen raided his book launch in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur and threatened to detain him and confiscate his book, ROS in Kangkong Land, if he had proceeded. He had to cancel the programme.

Hundreds of the books were confiscated by the police from the printer’s lorry en route to the launch venue.

ROS in Kangkong Land (RIKL) is a collection of his cartoons on the Internet which focuses more on one character – the prime minister’s wife, Rosmah.

Zunar has published 18 books in the past 30 years ago. His more notable works are 1 Funny Malaysia, “Cartoon-O-Phobia” and Perak Dalam Kartun.

Below are the excerpts of the interview:

Q: Your cartoons are mostly about Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor. Why are you targeting them?

Zunar: Malaysian politicians are funny. For me, Rosmah is easy because she is an inspiration and she is funny and ‘cartoonable’ with her big hair and cincin (ring).

The fact is the more ‘dominant’ a leader, the easier it is for cartoonists to draw them.

Q: Why are your cartoons attacking Barisan Nasional and not the opposition?

Zunar: I have no personal vendetta against the government of the day. They are too powerful to the extent that even the media are afraid of them. Even other cartoonists are afraid to draw them.

As for the opposition, I support them because we have a common goal to kick out the BN government. Malaysia has been governed by the same political party for more than 58 years. That why I’m targeting the government.

Q: By pushing for this regime change, aren’t you opening yourself to legitimate questions about whether you are an honest broker?

Zunar: I have wanted a regime change since 1988 during Dr Mahathir’s era when there was Ops Lalang. I felt that there was something wrong with the BN government and there were so many injustices during the 80s.

Since then, I wanted a change for a better Malaysia. But until now there has been no change. The government is like a stage 4 cancer, which is beyond repair.

Q: Do you think that your cartoons sometimes are over the limit?

Zunar: Who actually defines the limits? For art there should not be any limits. The sky is the limit. My focus is the issue of corruption in Malaysia. Because the issue has not been highlighted by the media, we have to raise the matter.

My principle is simple: “Why do you have to pinch when you can punch”. This is what all political cartoonists the world over are doing.

Q: In every sphere of life, there are limits. Why should you be any different?

Zunar: To use criminal law against a cartoonist is illegal. We are not criminals going around using guns.

If Najib feels insulted by my cartoons then he should take a civil suit against me, but why did the authorities handcuff me and throw me in the lock-up?

To date I have never received any call from the authorities to explain my cartoons. If they are not happy or feel insulted then they should use a civil suit and not a criminal suit against me. Then I can go to court and explain myself.

Q: With all the cases now pending in court against you, do you think you will be convicted and spend a considerable time in prison? Then what?

Zunar: I don’t want to think about being convicted and going to jail because it will affect my work and creativity. I will cross that bridge when the time comes. I don’t want to plan too far ahead because there is too much uncertainty in Malaysia.

Q: Are printers afraid to print your cartoons for fear of losing their licence and is it a challenge to get your cartoons published?

Zunar: The printers have started to feel the heat since my books were confiscated by the authorities. They are so scared that they won’t even keep a copy of the book for themselves.

Some printers have even resorted to printing at night to avoid getting into trouble with the authorities. I do have printers who are willing to print my books, but I can’t reveal who they are. I have also had to black out the name of the printers in my books.

Bookstores are also affected as they can’t carry my books.

Q: You are challenging the court’s decision on banning you from leaving the country. How has the travel ban affected you and your work?

Zunar: I used to receive about 10 invitations every year to exhibit my cartoons overseas, but that has stopped. The organisers know that I have been banned from travelling overseas and they have stopped sending invitations. – April 15, 2017.