SHAH ALAM, Oct 24 — The Home Affair Ministry says it has strong reasons for banning the Belt & Road Initiative For Win-Winism comic book as it could affect public order and national security, Berita Harian reported today.
Its minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the ban on the comic, that comes in three languages — Bahasa Malaysia, English, and Chinese — was not based on sentiments or politics as his ministry had thoroughly reviewed the content of the comic.
“We have studied it in-depth and there is a strong reason. [The decision to ban] was not due to any sentiments or a political move by any parties.
“It was decided based on the content and the fact that it was distributed to schools. Therefore we take this matter seriously,” he was quoted by the Malay daily.
Muhyiddin added that the comic would be confiscated if it is still found in the market following the ban.
“This is a serious issue, therefore I had to act fast on it. I advise others to not read the comic and avoid from using the reading material,” he said.
Yesterday, the Federal government had issued a ban on the comic that comes in the three languages, as it said that the comic was promoting communism and socialism ideology, apart from spreading false and confusing facts.
The prohibition order gazette under Section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 specifies that “the printing, importation, reproduction, publication, sale, production, circulation, distribution or possession of the publication is strictly prohibited in Malaysia”.
Any individual perpetrating the act could be jailed no more than three years or slapped with a fine not exceeding RM20,000 or both if found guilty as stipulated under Section 8(2) Act 301.
