THE government’s duty is to safeguard the community from actual harm or the threat of harm, not thoughts and ideas, human rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) said.

LFL was responding to the raid conducted by Home Ministry officials against local author Benz Ali at the Toko Buku Rakyat at Wisma Central in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The ministry seized two books from his bookshop, although they were not on the list of banned publications.

“We remind the government that its duty is to safeguard the community from actual harm or the threat of harm, not thoughts and ideas, which are protected by the Constitution,” said LFL director Zaid Malek.

“At all times, the government must be guided by principles, and not populist sentiments in the hopes of garnering enough votes to stay in power.

“We, thus, urge the government to stop all enforcement action upon these two seized books.”

The officials seized a book on Karl Marx (Marx Sang Pendidik Revolusioner or Marx The Revolutionary Educator) by Robin Small and a copy of Benz’s poetry collection (Koleksi Puisi Masturbasi).

Zaid said the officials stated that the action came under the purview of the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) 1984.

He said the government should halt all action under PPPA and take immediate steps for its repeal.

He said PPPA should not continue to exist under a “reformist” prime minister or government.

Zaid also stressed that Putrajaya has no right to seize any publication it deems inappropriate without going through the process enumerated in section 7(1) of  PPPA.

Section 7(1) states that any order by the minister to ban publications must be gazetted before it can have the force of law.

Zaid said neither of the books seized have been banned under the act.

“Therefore, the enforcers acted unlawfully, unconstitutionally and recklessly when they raided and seized the books from the store,” he said.

“This overzealous enforcement is the second that has happened this year, after the debacle of the raid and seizure of alleged LGBT-themed watches at Swatch stores in May, which also occurred before a ban was gazetted.”

Previously, the ministry said it had banned all Swatch products that contain any LGBT elements, whether on watches, boxes or wrappers. Anyone caught owning the banned watches could face up to three years in jail or a fine as high as RM20,000, or both, upon conviction. – August 19, 2023.