Education Ministry to pay back local writer for literary works after media spotlight

KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — Malaysian author Chua Kok Yee is finally to be paid copyright royalty for three of his short stories the Education Ministry had used in its high school syllabus this year without his permission.

In a Facebook post last night, the writer said the ministry had agreed to pay him the royalties for three of his short stories titled “Embracing Your Shadow”, “Thieving Daughter” and “Sambal without Anchovies”, from his short story collection “Without Anchovies” published in 2010 by Silverfish Books, and had instructed its agent to ink the agreement for their use.

“Hi everyone, i just want to update everyone that issue of Kementerian using my stories in school textbooks has been resolved. They have 'instructed' the so-called 'agent' to sign the proper royalties agreements. Furthermore, the rightful copyright owners would be acknowledged using stickers on the relevant pages in the textbooks. Thank you all for your support and help in this matter," Chua wrote, but did not disclose the amount of royalty due nor other details of the agreement reached.

The author also declined to elaborate when contacted by Malay Mail Online today.

“Thanks for the interest but I do not feel like making another statement over this as the issue has been resolved,” he said.

Last month, Malay Mail Online highlighted Chua's case after he complained about the ministry’s misstep in failing to get his permission before using the three titles as part of its selected reading for the SPM Literature in English, on independent publisher Sharon Bakar’s Facebook page.

Malay Mail Online was made to understand that Chua, Silverfish Books and an agent from the Education Ministry met back in 2012 to discuss the possibility of Chua’s stories being used for the English Literature syllabus but nothing conclusive was reached.

Following Chua's outcry, two other authors also claimed that the ministry had taken their works without permission.

Local playwright and writer Kee Thuan Chye said his poem was also used for the SPM English Literature paper but did not provide the title.

Sarawak-based American writer Robert Raymer said on Facebook that the Education Ministry had used his short story “Neighbours” from his short story collection “Lovers and Strangers Revisited”, published by MPH Publishing in 2005, for the SPM English Literature syllabus from 2008 to 2015 without paying him royalties.