The police seized my book from a bookshop in Melaka. This is the fax.

This happened on 10 February but I was only informed by the distributor this morning. All copies of Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things (Vol 2) were seized from MPH Mahkota Parade, Melaka.

I view this seizure as the latest act of harassment by the authorities against bookshops and publishers.

If, indeed, these people suspect that the book (which has been on sale since December 2008 -- yes, for 14 months-- with no hassle) might "have a negative impact on public tranquility/morals/public safety/relations between the country and foreign nations", why can't they just go through the proper channels by banning the book?

The book has many pictures and very little text; even so, did it really take the authorities 14 months to even suspect that the book committed any or all of those vaguely-stated offences? If so, should we worry about the literacy rate of the members of the police force?

#3

MPH Local Non-Fiction Bestsellers
for the Week Ending 1 March

1. Mahathir Mohamad: An Illustrated Biography by E. Yu

2. Eat Well, Live Well: Your Healthy Lifestyle Guide by Chia Joo Suan

3. Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things (Vol 2) by Amir Muhammad

4. 50 Days: Rantings by MM by Marina Mahathir

5. Urban Odysseys: KL Stories edited by Janet Tay and Eric Forbes

6. You Wear Suspenders? - The Wordy Tales of Eh Poh Nim by Lydia Teh

7. Supermodel’s Secret of Success by Amber Chia

8. Chedet.com Blog Merentasi Halangan by Mahathir Mohamad

9. Politik Baru:Mematangkan Demokrasi Malaysia (Bilingual) by Saifuddin Abdullah

10. Buat Duit dengan Ikan Keli by Mohd Fakhrulrazi Safiai

#4

MPH Local Non-Fiction Bestsellers
for the week ending 22 Feb

1. Mahathir Mohamad: An Illustrated Biography
Author: E. Yu

2. Urban Odysseys: KL Stories
Edited by Janet Tay & Eric Forbes

3. Chedet.com Blog Merentasi Halangan (Dwi Bahasa)
Author : Dr Mathathir Mohamad

4. Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things (Vol 2)
Author : Amir Muhammad

5. Eat Well, Live Well: Your Healthy Lifestyle Guide
Author : Chia Joo Suan

6. The Quintessential Man: The Story of Tan Sri Azizan Zainul Abidin
Author: Azam Aris

7. Nation Before Self and Values that Do Not Die
Author : Yuen Yuet Leng

8. Dare to Sell: Inspirational Comic
Author: Billi Lim

9. 50 Days
Author: Marina Mahathir

10. Profit from the Panic: How to Make Your Fortune from the Worst Financial Crisis Since the Great Depression
Author : Adam Khoo; Conrad Alvin Lim; Ryan Huang

* This list is called Local Non Fiction but actually collects all local books with the exception of Malay novels (which has a separate list). Hence, the mainly-fictional book at #2.

I am sandwiched between Dr. Mahathir and Amber Chia

(I bet that's something that doesn't happen to many people, and I don't care how kinky you are.)

MPH Non-Fiction Bestsellers
for the week ending 8 February

1.Mahathir Mohamad: An Illustrated Biography
Author : E. Yu

2. Barrack Hussein Obama: Presiden Amerika Syarikat yang Pertama Berkulit Hitam
Author : Najib Amin Sahib

3. March 8 the Day Malaysia Woke Up
Author : Kee Thuan Chye

4. Politik Baru: Mematangkan Demokrasi Malaysia (Bilingual)
Author : Saifuddin Abdullah

5. Laughter, the Best Malaysian
Author : David Tong

6. Eat Well, Live Well: Your Healthy Lifestyle Guide
Author : Chia Joo Suan

7. Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things (Vol 2)
Author : Amir Muhammad

8. Chedet.com Blog Merentasi Halangan (Dwi Bahasa)
Author : Dr Mathathir Mohamad

9. Profit from the Panic: How to Make Your Fortune from the Worst Financial Crisis Since the Great Depression
Author : Adam Khoo; Conrad Alvin Lim; Ryan Huang

10. Supermodel's: Secrets of Success
Author : Amber Chia

Debuts at #3

MPH Local Non-Fiction Bestsellers
for the week ending 1 February

1. Mahathir Mohamad: An Illustrated Biography by E. Yu
2. Tau Tak Apa by Dr HM Tuah Iskandar Al-Haj
3. Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things (Vol 2) by Amir Muhammad
4. Barrack Hussein Obama: Presiden Amerika Syarikat yang Pertama Berkulit Hitam by Najib Amin Sahib
5. Nation Before Self and Values that Do Not Die by Yuen Yuet Leng
6. Eat Well, Live Well: Your Healthy Lifestyle Guide by Chia Joo Suan
7. Politik Baru:Mematangkan Demokrasi Malaysia (Bilingual) by Saifuddin Abdullah
8. Things in Common by Syed Akbar Ali
9. Tarik Kekayaan Dengan Kuasa Minda by Amar Mahmood
10. Hadiah Buat Muslimah: Panduan Asas Fiqah Wanita by Siti Nor Bahyah Mahamood

Valentine's Day launch

The book will have its own launch 6pm on Valentine's Day. And things might get sticky.

Fret not: Despite some suggestions to the contrary, no politician will be launching it.

Our special guest will instead be a chocolate fountain. a much more useful sort of VIP.

Oh, this takes place at the Annexe literally minutes after the latest talk by Farish A Noor, and an hour before a unique concert that you Annexe cronies will soon hear all about.

You can confirm your attendance on Facebook.

Postal pre-orders now open

Hear ye, hear ye! We are now taking postal pre-orders for Vol 2 of Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things!

The bad news is that, for reasons we shall not go into, bookshops will only get this title in February. So if you'd like to order straight from me, you can email info@mataharibooks.com . If you want an autograph, let me know to whom :-)

Each book is RM25 (which is gonna be the bookshop price) with free delivery anywhere within Malaysia. (If you're outside Malaysia, you can already order from Amazon.com).

The books will be shipped out twice, on 15 January and 31 January.

Final cover and sample pages

Click to enlarge:


And, quite randomly:





Happy 2009 :-)