'Let's see what the government has to say in an open court before the entire nation. Is this a case of the government having no sense of humour? '

Explain book ban, Zunar tells gov't

KayKay: It's pointless asking the government for reasons. The standard government excuse since colonial times has been to say that "we don't have to give any reasons for our actions". This is because the government has no sane reasons, and any reason given will only help the other side to better mount a legal challenge.

So, they wait to be sued and see what comes up. This is an abuse of power by the ruling party and a waste of the court's time. If the case is indefinitely delayed, as it will be, it's a case of justice denied. The anti-climax will come when the government withdraws the ban just before the case comes up in court.

Nevertheless, it's important to fight the case in court. The people have a right to know just how dumb government officials are and to what extent they have been politicised by Umno. Exactly what are the contents of the book which led to the ban?

Let's see what the government has to say in an open court before the entire nation. Is this a case of the government having no sense of humour?

Free: Why does he (Prime Minister Najib Razak) need to do this? After all, his popularity ratings according to the Merdeka Centre survey was over 70 percent. Was this 70 percent fictitious, or what?

Lucia: This is really utterly ridiculous. Banning a comic book that criticises or makes fun of the government? Why are they so scared? The reason they gave is equally, if not more, ridiculous - that it could influence people to revolt against the leaders and government policies.

Does this mean that they are admitting there's truth in the cartoons? Does this mean they are so weak that they are scared of a cartoon book making the rakyat revolt against the government?

Book ban: Malaysiakini to take Home Ministry to court

Yuvan: Utusan Malaysia has been insensitive many times and had published articles and opinions that had denigrated and hurt the non-Malays. The people did not revolt. Perkasa had hurt the sensitivities of the non-Malays with its racial outbursts. The people did not revolt. The country is burdened with scandals involving losses amounting to billions of ringgit. The people did not revolt.

And the government thought that '1Funny Malaysia' - a simple book of political/social satire in the form of cartoons - will cause the people to revolt against the government and its policies?

Joe: By the life of me, I can't figure out what our ‘wunderbar' (wonderful) minister in the Home Ministry is looking for when he had the comics banned. He is definitely in the wrong line. He should be a ‘mullah' - lots of things to ban, including his own shadow.

Perhaps, he is seeking to uncover a hidden message, something like a Da Vinci code that's embedded in the comic books that could bring down the government at Putrajaya.

Come to think of it, Hishammuddin Hussein could end up enjoying the comics. He could even pick up some good ideas, including recommending to his boss that ‘1Funny Malaysia' be the new flavour of the month. It beats kitty cat .

If the government can ban comics because they poke fun at the 1Malaysia concept, it can arbitrarily ban any publication on a whim, without any ground, anything to do with public order or national security.

This government is clearly having difficulty winning public opinion to its side. BN-Umno is losing the battle of hearts and minds because truth is not in them.

Gerard Samuel Vijayan: What utter rubbish. It is obvious that these very small-minded Napoleons in the Home Ministry have nothing better to do than suck up to Umno/BN. Their way of thinking is medieval.

The world should know that Malaysia pretends to be a democracy when in reality it is an authoritarian state where the government of the day can still dictate to the people what they can say, see and read. Perhaps this should be highlighted to foreign investors when the PM goes abroad begging for foreign money and investments.

How can a series of political cartoons and satire incite the people to "revolt" against their leaders and government policies?

In any event, the people have the right to "revolt" against any leader or government that is tyrannical, unjust, corrupt and immoral. In Malaysia, the people only tend to "revolt" during a general or by-election. Therefore, the Home Ministry has no reason to fear.

Doc: The problem with Zunar's book that led to it to be banned by the Home Ministry is that it was written in English. As we have witnessed the level of English of late among the government staff, and Malaysians in general - it has deteriorated significantly over the years.

Karpal Singh's sedition trial was thrown out of court because the complainants did not understand English, hence were not able to comprehend whether what Karpal said was seditious or not.

Maybe the Home Ministry officials who vetted this book may not be that proficient in English to comprehend the cartoons. Maybe the Home Ministry is thinking that the rakyat is stupid and will start a riot after reading the cartoons.

CarL: The government should encourage some of the writers on their payroll to also write a similar ‘tell all' book on the opposition. I was told that ‘1Funny Malaysia' pokes fun at the 1Malaysia slogan. Well, I guess this one the people must decide on, just like sports gambling.

KJ John: It's one 1Funny Malaysia when jokes and humour threaten the integrity of the nation.