PUTRAJAYA has ordered the lifting of a ban on the book Sapuman: Man of Steal by cartoonist Zulkiflee SM Anwar Ulhaque, better known as Zunar, with immediate effect.

The lift was ordered by Prime Minister and Acting Home Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad last Thursday, according to a letter from the Home Ministry to the Attorney-General’s Chambers, sighted by The Malaysian Insight. 

The order was formally delivered to civil division head and senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan yesterday. 

The book, which lampoons former prime minister Najib Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, was banned in September last year by the previous Barisan Nasional administration.

Zunar’s challenge to the ban, filed in January, was initially fixed for hearing today. The Home Ministry had said in June it would review the ban.

Zunar said the High Court today ruled that the government was also liable to pay for damages, the sum of which would be decided by the registrar later. 

“This victory is not only for me but for all cartoonists, artists and publishers,” he said. 

“The compensation is a recognition of the government’s responsibility. This is important because it means that the government cannot arbitarily ban any book.”

Sapuman: Man of Steal was Zunar’s ninth book to be banned. Zunar said he had been subjected to intimidiation from the government, the frequent subject of 18 books he has published. 

“They intimidated the printers, booksellers, vendors and even a webmaster,” he said. 

“If those in power felt offended, they should have filed a defamation suit against me. Instead, they abused their power and banned my book. They used security laws to ban cartoons. This is an abuse of power.”

Zunar’s harrassment was capped by a travel ban issued in October 2016. Though the High Court had dismissed his application to challenge the travel ban in November, it was later lifted on May 14, a week after Pakatan Harapan won the general election. – August 9, 2018.