What grounds did the Home Ministry use to ban the Belt and Road comic book?

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Home Ministry Cited Public Order and Citizen's Thoughts as Grounds for Banning 'Belt and Road Initiative for Win-Winism'

The Home Ministry banned the comic book Belt and Road Initiative for Win-Winism in 2019, citing concerns that its contents could be detrimental to public order and disturb the thoughts of the people. This decision was made under Section 7 (1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act. The government subsequently sought to reinstate this ban at the Federal Court, arguing that the Home Minister's assessment of potential disharmony and racial tensions caused by the publication was a valid measure of whether it was detrimental to public order.
Concerns Over Public Order and Citizen's Thoughts

The primary justification provided by the Home Ministry for banning the book was its potential to negatively impact public order and influence the populace's thinking. This assessment led to the imposition of the ban in 2019, immediately after the book's publication.
Legal Challenge to the Ban

Following the ban, the book's co-author, Hew Kuan Yau, initiated a legal challenge through judicial review. Initially, the High Court upheld the Home Ministry's right to ban the publication and retain confiscated copies. However, this decision was later overturned by the Court of Appeal in July of this year, which ordered the Home Ministry to return all seized copies of the book.
Federal Court Declines to Reinstate Ban

The government's subsequent attempt to revive the ban at the Federal Court was unsuccessful. A three-judge panel determined that the government's case did not present novel issues or questions of public importance that would warrant the apex court's intervention to restore the ban. The court's decision meant that the Court of Appeal's order to return the books would stand.

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What grounds did the Home Ministry use to ban the Belt and Road comic book?

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