KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s Home Affairs Ministry yesterday issued a show-cause letter to Chinese daily Nanyang Siang Pau over its publication of a cartoon depicting the country’s Parliamentary Speaker and the leader of opposition party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) as monkeys.

The cartoon had sparked protests by Malay-Muslim groups as well as police reports lodged by PAS and the ruling United Malays National Organisation (Umno).

“The editor has been given three days to reply to the letter,” the Home Affairs Ministry’s chief secretary, Mr Alwi Ibrahim, said in a statement. “Further action will be taken based on existing procedures and regulations,” he added without elaboration.

The ministry yesterday summoned Nanyang’s editor-in-chief Chan Aun Kuang for a meeting over the matter.

Mr Alwi said the action was taken as the cartoon was deemed to have made a mockery of Parliament and Islamic matters, and could affect public order by “encouraging malice, enmity, hatred and prejudice towards other races”.

“It also indirectly mocks Parliament and Islam because Act 355 as depicted in the cartoon is related to Islamic affairs,” he added. Act 355 is also known as the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965.

Nanyang — owned by Sarawak timber tycoon Tiong Hiew King — published the cartoon on April 8, two days after PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang tabled his Private Member’s Bill in Parliament to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965.

The drawing, titled Monkey Act, featured a monkey sporting a songkok and labelled as “Speaker”, with another labelled as “Hadi Awang” wearing a turban, sitting on an “Act 355” tree and clutching a wand in its left hand.

Parliament Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia had allowed Mr Hadi to table his Bill, only to defer the debate on the matter hours later to the next sitting of Parliament in July.

Mr Hadi had twice previously tried — and failed — to table the Bill, which seeks to raise the punishment ceiling meted out by Syariah courts to 30 years in prison, a RM100,000 (S$31,651) fine and 100 strokes of the cane. Currently, the penalties state a maximum jail term of three years, a fine of RM5,000 or six strokes of the cane.

After the uproar caused by the cartoon’s publication, the Chinese broadsheet issued an apology on Monday.

“Our newspaper on April 8 published a cartoon on Act 355 that is disrespectful to Pandikar and Hadi. Nanyang sincerely apologises to both of them,” it said in a statement, adding that the cartoon has been taken down from its website.

Despite the apology, PAS Youth and several Muslim non-governmental organisations protested yesterday in front of the daily’s offices in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru, calling for the organisation to be closed down.

The wing’s members in the Malaysian east coast state of Kelantan also torched a pile of the newspapers.

PAS Youth wing assistant secretary Nurul Islam Mohamed Yusoff told TODAY that leaders from his wing met Nanyang’s management after the protests.

“They (once again) apologised for the publication of the cartoon and gave their assurances that such incidents will not be repeated. They also said they have learnt from this episode, while admitting that they should be more sensitive and diligent,” he said.

“We accepted their apology, but still, they have to face the consequences of their actions.”

PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said in a statement later that the party will take legal action against the newspaper. “PAS cannot compromise over such a thing and will take legal action against the parties responsible,” he said. “As such, PAS has appointed a lawyer to quickly pursue the matter.”

Nanyang’s Mr Chan did not reply to TODAY’s queries.

Penang Umno’s youth wing filed a police complaint yesterday over the issue, urging the Home Affairs Ministry to withdraw the newspaper’s publishing licence. “The apology they issued is not enough because they could repeat this if no action is taken against them. It will not erase what they had done so they must face the consequence of their actions,” said the wing’s chief, Mr Jasmin Noordin. WITH AGENCIES