KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 — Online bookstore Buku Fixi have dropped the works of Malay right-wing author Helmi Effendy after the latter had hoped and prayed for the purge and killings of Malay liberals and certain segments of the non-Malay community in Malaysia.
In a statement on Twitter today, Buku Fixi said they will no longer sell any books authored by Helmi, adding that while they support the freedom of speech they do not accept death threats being issued against others.
“Starting today we will no longer be selling any books by Helmi Effendy in Kedai Fixi or online on fixi.com.my. We support the freedom of speech but not threats or prayers that people to be killed. Other books published by The Patriots will still be sold.
“This is because we don’t want to punish other writers from the company. We don’t want to be like a popular book chain who stopped selling all of Buku Fixi’s books, without caring who the writer is, since 2012 till today.
“Our action is in line with a similar action a few years ago when we stopped selling books by Amran Fans because of a joke on a murdered rape victim but we still choose to sell other books by his publisher Dubook Press,” said the statement.
Yesterday, political analyst Ooi Kok Hin had tweeted to Buku Fixi that Helmi, who is a founder of conservative portal The Patriots and its book publishing wing The Patriots Publication had openly advocated the killings of “race traitors”.
He called upon Buku Fixi, Kino KL Unofficial (Kinokuniya Malaysia’s unofficial Twitter) and Gallery Bookstore to reconsider carrying Helmi’s works.
Ooi had picked up on a Mikhail Hafiz’s tweet where he posted a screenshot of Helmi voicing his hope that the Night of the Broken Glass and Night of the Long Knife would become a reality in Malaysia.
In Helmi’s post, which was uploaded in July last year, Helmi had condemned Education Minister Maszlee Malik for considering to approve the UEC examinations.
“May the Night of the Broken Glass becomes a reality in Malaysia. Night of the Long Knives will kill the leaders and Malay voters who betrayed their religion and race!” said Helmi.
Historically, the Night of the Broken Glass was a pogrom against the Jews in Nazi Germany from November 9 to November 10 in 1938 which was carried out the Nazi’s SA paramilitary forces and civilians, while the German authorities did not intervene.
The name came from the shards of broken glass that littered the streets after the windows of Jewish-owned stores, buildings, and synagogues were smashed.
Early reports estimated that 91 Jews were murdered during the attacks but modern estimates are much higher.
The Night of the Long Knives was also a purge that occurred earlier in Nazi Germany from June 30 to July 1934 when Adolf Hitler carried out a series of extrajudicial executions to consolidate his power.
Carried out by the Nazi SS, Gestapo and SD, the killings took place against the Nazi’s own paramilitary force the SA and its leader Ernst Rohm and leading members of the leftist-leaning Strasserist faction of the Nazi party.
Meanwhile, Helmi had responded to Buku Fixi’s actions in a rant on his Facebook status.
“Finally as I expected, a bookstore has taken out two of my books by giving the reason that I am a racist, bigot, redneck, Nazi and fascist. The first book store is Buku Fixi. Right now it’s the only one.
“But what do I care. I don’t give a f*ck. I assume that when Buku Fixi took my books from their shelves, it means someone out there is very very afraid of me. They fear the influence I have,” said Helmi.
