Fans of malaysiakini columnist Hishamuddin Rais may feel crushed that they have not been able to buy his new book at outlets of MPH Bookstores Sdn Bhd.

Distributor Chong Ton Sing claimed he had approached the store operator earlier and was told that the book, Pilihanraya atau pilihan jalanraya (To the polls or to the streets), could not be accepted because it was "too political".

Chong said he had never faced such problems before as the books he distributed were often political in nature and still accepted by stores. He added that he has been distributing books abroad for several years.

Disputing his claim, MPH Bookstores merchandising manager Kuan Wan Fern said instead that the management was not even aware of who the distributor was.

Kuan said the distributor should meet with the purchasing officer and leave a copy for the management to "review".

It will take "only two to three days" to finish reviewing the book, added Kuan, before the store makes a decision on putting the book up for sale.

Stocked by others

The book, published by Mkini.com Sdn Bhd and launched in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 1, can be found in book shops like Silverfish and Kinokuniya. It is a compilation of Hishamuddin's articles published in his weekly 'Dotmai' column in malaysiakini , which touch on human rights, racism and the struggles of the Malay community, among others.

The book title was taken from a question Hishamuddin posed in an article he wrote a month before he was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) on April 10 last year. He is being held under a two-year detention order at the Kamunting camp in Perak.

Also launched with the book was Bumi dipijak (Our home), a collection of articles by Lee Ban Chen, another malaysiakini columnist.

The book launch was held jointly with a forum organised by human rights group Suara Rakyat Malaysia in conjunction with the 42nd anniversary of the ISA which provides for detention without trial.