31Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia is yet to follow Singapore’s banning from its libraries two children’s books featuring same-sex couples.

“As far as I know, no complaint has been received here,” Malaysian Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar told The Rakyat Post when asked if Malaysia had already banned the books or would follow soon in Singapore’s footsteps.

“Nevertheless, my officers will try and get a copy to study the contents before they decide on what to report to the minister,” said Wan Junaidi adding “So far, no banning yet.”

Singapore’s National Library Board recently banned from libraries And Tango Makes Three that depicts the story of a couple of male penguins in a New York zoo who adopt a young penguin chick and The White Swan Express that looks at adoption including those of a lesbian couple.

Media quoted the library board’s chief executive Elaine Ng as saying that the board stood by its decision to keep these titles off its shelves as they were unsuitable for children.

The titles were not found on the Malaysian Home Ministry’s website that lists 1,534 banned books. The last entry on banned books was one in Bahasa Malaysia language on May 21.

Singapore and Malaysia are neighbors and share a common history. Both were former British colonies. In 1963, Singapore merged with the Federation of Malaya alongside North Borneo and Sarawak to form Malaysia but separated two years later following frequent disagreement within politics, economic, financial and social policies.

Both countries however retain the same repressive “Section 377A” British colonial-era anti-gay law.

Malaysia’s “Section 377A” law banns “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” and outlaws same-sex relations with punishment by up to 20 years in jail.

Under Singapore’s “Section 377A” law, any male person who, in public or private, commits, abets, procures or attempts to procure any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years.

Source: therakyatpost.com