May 13 -The book

The distributor of the book asked if we had been harassed by the Men-in-Blue. I said, "No. No one has been here inquiring about the book except for buyers." According to him a certain mega bookstore of the city has been having daily visitations, and bookstore staff have been asked to sign forms admitting that they have been selling the book. (I wonder if I should feel a bit slighted. I guess, we have to accept the fact that we are a small bookshop, lor.) If true, that does sound a lot like harassment, doesn't it? Can you imagine Men-in-Blue or conspicuous plain-clothes hanging around bookstores, observing what customers are buying? Or, if not true, what kind of state have we been reduced to - seeing shadows and conspiracies everywhere? What will it take to regain public confidence, or has that been quite irredeemably lost?

Also according to the same distributor, one major bookshop chain has, apparently, made a management decision not the sell the book. And another does not have it on its shelves because they do not have an account with the distributor. (Yes, it is all a bit complicated.) Otherwise, it is selling reasonably well. The distributor says that 11,000 copies have been printed and distributed. I think we should take that with a pinch of salt. It is selling, yes, but it has not been selling that well. Appears to be more like wishful thinking. But no matter, with constant rumours about the 'high probability' of the book getting banned (yes, that shadow of Mordor looms ominously), sales should be good for a while more.

[Just as I was posting this, three DBKL personnel in maroon jackets walked into the shop. Dina Zaman and Din Merican were here - Din listening intently, pretending to look elsewhere. They ask me for my 'lesen premis'. This is something I have been inquiring about for the better part of the last 8 years and I have been told by all the lawyers and company secretaries I have consulted that there was no such requirement for a bookshop in WP - but all other states, apparently, have such a clause. I told the gentleman that. He asked to see it in writing. Of course I didn't have one in writing. So he said he was going to give me 'saman'. I said, okay. I have since called my company secretary, my lawyer and the DBKL, Jabatan Lesenan - sorry, no names for now - and none of them were aware of such a requirement or undang-undang pertaining to the operation of a bookshop. My lawyer is going to get a copy of the Undang undang - no clause mentioned, mind you - quoted in the 'saman' before deciding what to do. (Both DBKL and the Government printers have said that they do not have a copy of the undang undang mentioned, adding a Kafkaesque dimension to the plot - we can't tell you what exactly you are being charged with, it's a secret.) Only after I do that will I be able to tell if I have been targeted for harassment or if this was part a normal DBKL 'operation'.]

So what is the book about? Read this: http://www.silverfishbooks.com/2007/05/politicshistory_31.html