THE Home Ministry has banned three publications entitled “The Tale of Steven”, “Jacob’s Room To Choose” and “Aku”, deemed to be harmful to Malaysian values with two books containing LGBT elements.

The ministry, in a statement today, said that the Prohibition Order was issued in accordance with provisions under section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (Amended 2012) through Government Gazette P.U.(A) 24, 25 and 26 dated January 20, 2023.

According to Home Ministry, the order stipulates that printing, importing, producing, reproducing, publishing, selling, circulating, distributing or owning the said publications is strictly prohibited in Malaysia.

“All three publications have content that may harm morals. The publication ‘Aku’ was found to have obscene and immoral content that could influence personal behaviour and is against the values of decency in Malaysian society.

“‘The Tale of Steven’ and ‘Jacob’s Room To Choose’ were deemed to promote a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) lifestyle, which is seen as a threat to the noble values taught by religion and Eastern society all this time,” it said.

The Home Ministry also said the government is committed to preventing the spread of elements that are harmful to morals of the community which can indirectly contribute to the erosion of races and the nation.

“Based on the provision under section 8(2) of the Printing and Publishing Act 1984 (Amendment 2012), if convicted, they can be imprisoned for a period not exceeding three years or fined not exceeding RM20,000 or both.

“If members of the public find that the above publication or any publication that is feared to be in violation of the law is still being distributed in the market, they can inform the Home Ministry enforcement division at 03-8886 8047 or fax 03-88891682,” it said.

Complaints can also be made to the ministry’s complaint system at http://moha.spab.gov.my. – Bernama, February 14, 2023.