Even My Pen Has a Stand by Zunar,
104 pages (full colour),
Published by Kinibooks, 2011.
Price: RM25.00. Available here.
Even My Pen Has a Stand is my fourth cartoon compilation published by Kinibooks, a subsidiary of Malaysiakini. Previously, I collaborated with the same publisher for Cartoons On Tun… and Others (2005), 1 Funny Malaysia (2009) and Cartoon-O-Phobia (2010).
Even My Pen Has a Stand features a collection of my political cartoons that appeared on Malaysiakini website between September 2010 and June 2011, as well as works published in Cartoonmovement.com, an international cartoon website. In addition, the book also includes a special cartoon which I drew while being detained in the police lock-up in September 2010.
To answer questions from fans about my whereabouts prior to the reformasi era, I have also included 12 pages of "Cartoonology" in this book, which gives a history of my career as early as 1974 to the present.
There is also a special artwork from my personal collection, a caricature of me drawn by Anwar Ibrahim from Sungai Buloh prison, dated August 2001.
Even My Pen Has a Stand is chosen as the title because after I was arrested, detained and threatened, I consider it important to reaffirm my stand and continue producing cartoon till the last drop of my ink.
My stance is clear. I will draw to expose the corruption of the Barisan Nasional government as well as address fundamental issues such as abuse of power, police brutality, human rights violations and misuse of public funds.
Even My Pen Has a Stand mainly touches on the Altantuya issue, the Scorpene submarine scandal, the PM, his wife, electrical tariff and petrol hikes, the continuing conspiracies against Anwar Ibrahim, the judiciary, Apco, Egypt, 'FLOM' (First Lady of Malaysia), Sarawak election and racial issues, among others.
On September 24 last year, I was detained, arrested and locked up for two days over the publication of Cartoon-O-Phobia. Prior to that, the government banned six of my cartoon works: Gedung Kartun, Perak Darul Kartun, 1 Funny Malaysia, Isu Dalam Kartun Vol 1, Isu Dalam Kartun Vol 2 and Isu Dalam Kartun Vol 3.
This time around, will I be arrested or will this book too be banned? I do not have an answer to this but let me remind the Najib government that it is uncivilized to use force to stop a political cartoonist. Such a trend may be common in some Central American or African countries in the days of old, but in modern days, editorial cartoonists are recognized as agents of democratisation.
Even in Kazakhstan, cartoonist Vladimir Kadyrbaev has been allowed to criticise the government there, in a national newspaper!
My arrest has become a laughing-stock among the cartoonist community around the world. The feedback I received from fellow editorial cartoonists from America, Indonesia, Thailand, Europe and Japan is that my cartoons are funny, but the government's action against me is even funnier.
However, I am ready to face the consequences from the authority and will fight for my rights.
Last year I filed a suit against the government over the banning of my books, and the court will deliver judgement on July 14. Recently I filed another suit to challenge the unlawful detention against me, and for this the court has yet to set a trial date.
If Even My Pen Has a Stand cannot be sold in the open market, I will have to rely on the support from readers. Only with the support of my fans, the readers and the people who are concerned can the publication of my cartoon works continue.
I cordially invite all my fans, supporters and Malaysians to join me at the launching ceremony and show your support, not only for me but for the sake of freedom of expression.
[Even My Pen has a Stand will be launched on July 2, 2011, 8.00 pm, at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall by Lembah Pantai MP, Nurul Izzah Anwar.]
http://en.harakahdaily.net/index.php/articles/art-a-lit/3014-zunar-talks-on-his-latest-work.html
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