PUTRAJAYA: The Home Ministry has ordered an immediate stop of the sale of the Where Did I Come From book.
Ministry's deputy secretary-general Datuk Abdul Rahim Mohd Radzi said the ministry had started studying the content of the book.
“Until a decision is made, book stores are required to stop selling it.
“If the contents are found have elements that could harm the morals of the community, we will ban it,” he said in a statement.
Abdul Rahim said the ministry was taking action under Section 7, Subsection 1 of the Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984.
Umno Youth Community Complaints Bureau chairman Datuk Muhd Khairun Aseh said the wing received many complaints from the public regarding the matter.
“The book was easily available at the children's section at several book stores but the degree of obscenity inside the book was too much,” he said.
The book, Muhd Khairun added, featured cartoon illustrations of naked male and female bodies complete with genitalia.
“It clearly indicates the private parts of human beings and specific details of how two persons are making love,” he said.
He also noted that the book described the act of sexual intercourse and how the male and female genitalia functioned.
“The book is written in simple language and was placed on shelves for children under the age of 12.
“This is a violation of Section 292 of the Penal Code, which deals with distribution or sale of pornographic materials. We believe that some 200 million copies of the book has been printed since it was published in 1997,” he said.
Asked if the book was meant for educational purposes, Muhd Khairun said although it might be suitable for children at the writer's country of origin, it was still not suitable in Malaysia.
Where Did I Come From, by Peter Mayle and published in 1984, describes the reproductive process from intercourse to birth.
It is heavily illustrated and most reviewers have said that it was useful but some reviewers have commented that it had too much information about love-making.
Mayle is a British author famous for his series of books detailing life in Provence, France.
He spent 15 years in the advertising industry before leaving the business in 1975 to write educational books, including a series on sex education for children and young people.
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