According to an Agenda Daily report, the publisher of the sensational tabloid Perdana Sari , Khalid Jafri has decided to publish a book titled Bukti Azalina lesbian (Evidences of Azalina being a lesbian).

Publishing a book does not need any publishing permit, although the home affairs minister could ban its sale.

Moreover, Khalid Jafri was also quoted by Agenda Daily as publicly asking Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad what the difference is between his allegations against Anwar Ibrahim and Azalina Othman?

Like it or not, Mahathir has to answer the very sharp question posed by Khalid Jafri. Malaysia and the world are waiting eagarly to hear from Mahathir.

Suspending Perdana Sari under the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) for three months does not seem to be a practical option. Human behaviour is such that when a book is banned, ordinary people would tend to believe that the author is right and the government wrong. This probably explained why Mahathir's own book, The Malay Dilemma became such a sought after item when it was banned between 1970 and 1982.

Suspending or banning a regular publication also cannot prevent the authors and publishers from presenting it in a book-form which does not require a publishing permit. After a book is banned, another book could be written. Also, the same content could be uploaded on the Internet for even wider consumption throughout the world.

It seems that the only effective way is for Azalina Othman to sue Perdana Sari and Khalid Jafri for personal defamation and libel without resorting to the abuses of state powers. Abusing state power to protect the image of oneself and ones political party is not acceptable even among Azalinas liberal friends in the legal fraternity. What then is the difference between old-styled Umno autocrats and the rising star of tomorrow's liberal age?

It is also acceptable for Umno to call on its leaders, members and supporters to stop buying or reading Perdana Sari or other writings of Khalid Jafri. If the controversy is managed wisely by Umno and Azalina Othman through normal and democratic processes without impairing the freedom of the press, both would certainly emerge as honourable entities, while Perdana Sari and Khalid Jafri would certainly be rejected by Malaysians as nonsensical.

Alternatively, Umno or Putri Umno can publish books or write articles to expose the political backgrounds and financial support of Perdana Sari and Khalid Jafri, to show that they are politically motivated or hired by some mischievous or jealous politicians in Umno or Wanita Umno.

There is certainly a need to change the approaches and modes of response to Perdana Sari and Khalid Jafri, if Azalina and Umno wish to continue to reform its image of being autocratic.