Kuala Lumpur: The government has issued a prohibition order against three books deemed potentially harmful to public morality in Malaysia. The Home Ministry (KDN), in a statement today, announced that the ban was officially gazetted under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 [Act 301] and took effect on Jan 21 and 22.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the three banned titles are ‘My Shadow Is Purple’ by Scott Stuart, ‘Koleksi Puisi Masturbasi’ by Amir Hamzah bin Akal Ali (Benz Ali), and ‘All That’s Left In The World’ by Erik J. Brown. The ministry stated that this prohibition order under Act 301 serves as a preventive measure to curb potential threats or harm before they arise. It also aims to raise public awareness about undesirable publications that are deemed inappropriate for general readership.

The ban is in line with Section 7(1) of Act 301, which prohibits the printing, importation, reproduction, publication, sale, distribution, or possession of materials that could compromise public morality in Malaysia. Under Section 8(2) of Act 301, any individual found printing, importing, producing, reproducing, publishing, selling, distributing, offering for sale, or possessing prohibited publications for any purpose is committing an offence. If convicted, they may face up to three years in prison, a fine of up to RM20,000, or both.