Rants & Raves of Jasmine’s Fiction

You just gotta LOVE what the Malaysian press is printing nowadays… This came out on page 13 in the News Straits Times on the 10^th of August 2006. Laugh people.  That’s all we can do about it.

Even The Banned List’s Been Banned Now

A FEW weeks ago, the authorities came out with a pamphlet that listed the books that are banned from sale and circulation in Malaysia. There was some public outcry. To address this, the pamphlet has been slapped with a ban.

"The reason is quite obvious," said Freedom From Speech chairperson Salmon- berry Chen. "We fear that exposure to the very titles of these books will cause too much discussion. This should be the end of the matter."

The 49-page booklet was seen in a few shops of dubious prestige last week. But checks by this worthy organ confirm that they have been withdrawn from circulation.

The ban on those books and the reasons for them were initially controversial. One of them featured a cat named Garfield, considered offensive for "glorifying orange felines that were not indigenous to this country". Another featured a dog named Snoopy, and was withdrawn for "seemingly conferring the powers of speech to an animal, therefore going against the laws of nature". Now, even the titles of both these books can no longer be printed.

The question remains: If we don’t know what is banned, how can we take action against those who continue to sell and circulate those dangerous books? Chen dismissed this concern with a guffaw.

"The authorities have been instructed in a special way. Do not worry. Those of us in power have a different way of speaking, anyway."

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