Court lifts ban on comic book 'When I was a Kid 3'
Hidir Reduan Abdul Rashid
Published: Mar 24, 2025 3:38 PM
Updated: 8:22 PM
Summary
- The Kuala Lumpur High Court quashes Home Ministry’s ban on the comic book “When I was a Kid 3”.
- The ban followed a 2023 protest by Indonesians outside the Malaysian embassy over allegations that one of its pages denigrated an Indonesian maid working in Malaysia.
Cheeming Boey’s comic book “When I Was a Kid 3” can now be sold in Malaysia, following the civil court lifting the Home Ministry’s ban.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court today allowed the author’s judicial review to challenge the ban over alleged risk of public unrest.
Judge Amarjeet Singh allowed Boey to proceed with the assessment of book royalties losses arising from the ban and also ordered the ministry to pay RM3,000 costs to the applicant.
When contacted, a representative from the Attorney-General’s Chambers confirmed the outcome of the civil court proceedings.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court today allowed the author’s judicial review to challenge the ban over alleged risk of public unrest.
Judge Amarjeet Singh allowed Boey to proceed with the assessment of book royalties losses arising from the ban and also ordered the ministry to pay RM3,000 costs to the applicant.
When contacted, a representative from the Attorney-General’s Chambers confirmed the outcome of the civil court proceedings.
Artist Cheeming Boey
Meanwhile, when contacted, Boey’s counsel Clinton Tan said the author is mulling whether to file an application to assess the loss from book royalties that the ministry needs to pay him.
The court today ruled that the author is entitled to seek an assessment of the loss of book royalties.
The lawyer added that the court did not allow the author’s bid for the ministry to pay exemplary damages.
Amarjeet did not give grounds for today’s decision.
Per judicial practice, the civil court will at a later date release the written grounds of judgment with detailed reasoning behind the verdict.
On June 27, 2023, dozens of Indonesians gathered outside the Malaysian embassy to protest the sale and printing of the comic book over allegations that one of its pages denigrated an Indonesian maid working in Malaysia.
Following the public outcry, Malaysia’s Home Ministry gazetted the ban under Section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 on Sept 25, 2023.
In a media statement, the ministry said the comic book was banned because the publication poses harm to morals, public interest, and state interests by causing concern and unrest in the community.
Boey filed the judicial review on Dec 12, 2023.
The Malaysian citizen, who was born in Singapore and domiciled in the United States, previously told The Malay Mail that he believed the ban on his book came after the Indonesian protest and was a case of misinterpretation, or in some cases, taken completely out of context.
According to a copy of the affidavit in support of the judicial review, Boey pointed out that the comic book was published on Jan 1, 2014, before the ministry ban over nine years later.
The 46-year-old author claimed that he was neither informed of the order nor issued a show-cause letter for him to be allowed to explain himself on the allegations linked to the comic book.
Meanwhile, when contacted, Boey’s counsel Clinton Tan said the author is mulling whether to file an application to assess the loss from book royalties that the ministry needs to pay him.
The court today ruled that the author is entitled to seek an assessment of the loss of book royalties.
The lawyer added that the court did not allow the author’s bid for the ministry to pay exemplary damages.
Amarjeet did not give grounds for today’s decision.
Per judicial practice, the civil court will at a later date release the written grounds of judgment with detailed reasoning behind the verdict.
On June 27, 2023, dozens of Indonesians gathered outside the Malaysian embassy to protest the sale and printing of the comic book over allegations that one of its pages denigrated an Indonesian maid working in Malaysia.
Following the public outcry, Malaysia’s Home Ministry gazetted the ban under Section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 on Sept 25, 2023.
In a media statement, the ministry said the comic book was banned because the publication poses harm to morals, public interest, and state interests by causing concern and unrest in the community.
Boey filed the judicial review on Dec 12, 2023.
The Malaysian citizen, who was born in Singapore and domiciled in the United States, previously told The Malay Mail that he believed the ban on his book came after the Indonesian protest and was a case of misinterpretation, or in some cases, taken completely out of context.
According to a copy of the affidavit in support of the judicial review, Boey pointed out that the comic book was published on Jan 1, 2014, before the ministry ban over nine years later.
The 46-year-old author claimed that he was neither informed of the order nor issued a show-cause letter for him to be allowed to explain himself on the allegations linked to the comic book.
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