The National Writers’ Association (Pena) wants the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the selection of the novel ‘Pantai Kasih’ as compulsory text for Form Four students.

Pena secretary-general Syed Mohd Zakir Syed Othman said the MACC should investigate the selection of the novel, which has since courted controversy over its steamy verses, because it initially did not make the cut.

Despite not being selected in initial rounds, the novel, which revolves around the high-flying lifestyles of rich doctors and nurses at a private hospital, was chosen in the final round of the selection, Syed Mohd Zakir said.

“The review panel said it did not encounter ‘Pantai Kasih’ in the initial stages of selection, but only in the final round. This raises questions.

“The MACC should investigate the matter for possible corruption,” he told Malaysiakini at the Rumah Pena yesterday.

Just before this, Syed Mohd Zakir spoke at a dialogue session with panellists and writers Raiha Baharudin and Zariff Hassan.

Raiha had earlier written an open letter on ‘Pantai Kasih’, lamenting the quality of Bahasa Malaysia literature and misogyny in the text.

Besides the quality of the text, concerns have also been raised on scenes of sexual nature in the book.

Syed Mohd Zakir said MACC should also investigate claims that the author of ‘Pantai Kasih’ never saw royalty payments for the book.

Syed Mohd Zakir, who is better known by his pen name SM Zakir, urged the Education Ministry to ensure that the novelist received due royalty payment.