Day: November 11, 2015

Court orders return of Zunar’s banned books, reports portal

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Source: The Malaysian Insider

The Federal Court has ordered the Home Ministry to return the books seized from political cartoonist Zunar. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, November 11, 2015.

The Home Ministry has been ordered to return books seized from political cartoonist Zunar by the Federal Court today, Malaysiakini reported.

The court’s five-man bench led by Justice Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif upheld the Court of Appeal’s decision to overturn the ministry’s ban on the books ‘1Funny Malaysia’ and “Perak Darul Kartun”.

The ministry is to return 33 copies of the books to Zunar, whose full name is Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, the apex court ordered today. Read more →

Zunar fights Malaysian government ‘vendetta’ over cartoons

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Source: The Australian

Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, better known as Zunar - pic from www.zunar.my

Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, better known as Zunar – pic from www.zunar.my

Defiant cartoonist Zunar, who faces 43 years in jail over sedition charges, says Malaysia’s embattled government has mounted a “personal vendetta” against him for highlighting corruption.

Travelling the world to discuss his plight — he spoke yesterday in the NSW parliament — Zunar told The Australian that police were determined to shut him out of the public eye.

Officers moved first against the publishers of his cartoon books, then against the printers, bookshops, and now online ­retailers and their customers.

“It’s a personal vendetta,” said Zunar — the pen-name of Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, 53. “But this is not a new thing. The government started to target me seven years ago,” when the police raided his office, confiscated more than 500 cartoon books and banned them from sale.

His work has recently focused strongly on corruption, with Prime Minister Najib Razak combating a series of revelations, including that almost $1 billion mysteriously ended up in his bank accounts. Read more →

TPPA benefits for plantation sector minor: MaybankIB

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Source: TheSunDaily

PETALING JAYA: The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) is neutral-to-marginally positive on the Malaysia plantation sector on a trade perspective, with downstream players to benefit most, according to MaybankIB Research.

It said under the TPPA, the removal of import duties on oleochemicals and finished palm products will largely be gradual, over 10-15 years for the USA and Mexico.

“While the TPP will provide Malaysian plantation companies with greater market access to the US, Canada, Mexico and Peru over time, the benefits, over the immediate 10 years, will not be significant in our view,” the research house said in a report. Read more →