KUALA LUMPUR: Political leaders have been urged to respect the court's decision regarding the trilingual comic book authored by former DAP member Hew Kuan Yau, and to refrain from politicising the issue.
DAP vice-chairman Teresa Kok criticised statements from Umno supreme council member Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi and Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh for their calls to ban the book, titled "Belt and Road Initiative for Win-Winism".
She said such statements showed a disregard for the court's ruling and restrict freedom of expression.
"All parties need to forget past prejudices and continue to look forward. For now, the main mission is about the interests of the people, as well as focusing on economic recovery.
"The court has ruled that the book does not contain seditious content as alleged in the sworn statement of the home minister," she said in a statement.
Kok said the judge concluded that the dissatisfaction of a person or a group cannot restrict a person's freedom of expression.
She said although the home minister may disagree with the book's content or Hew's perspectives, this does not warrant banning the publication.
"In July 2022, the Court of Appeal ruled that the book in question should not be classified as a prohibited book, while in December 2022, the Federal Court also rejected the Home Ministry's appeal and ordered Hew to seek compensation from the government.
"When the Home Ministry respects and implements court decisions, it indirectly defends the fundamental rights of Malaysians, especially the right to freedom of expression and publication," she said, adding that this decision reflects the strong stance of the national judiciary on freedom of expression and publication.
She said Akmal and Puad should respect judicial independence and court rulings, rather than push for the government to violate court orders.