KUALA LUMPUR: It was never his intention to offend anyone in his comic, says Malaysian artist and author Cheeming Boey.
The United States-based Boey said it is unfortunate that his comic titled "When I Was A Kid 3" which had been released in 2014 was banned after a decade.
"When I Was A Kid 3 has been banned, and it is unfortunate. But such is life, even when you set out with the purest of intentions, you stand to offend. I worked so hard on all my books man, I really really did," he said in a post on his official Facebook account.
In his post, he said when the comic was released, it was an instant hit, and he was invited to schools nationwide to talk about it.
He described it as a blast, and he enjoyed every interaction with his readers, both young and old.
He said it was his first book to win first place at the Reader’s Choice Award.
"So, to be banned almost a decade later comes as a shock to me,” he said.
Boey said he believed that the chapter that led to the ban was Coconuts II.
In the chapter, Boy recounts how his father wanted to show him how fast an Indonesian domestic worker climbed a coconut tree in the backyard of his house.
His father however likened the domestic helper to a monkey.
To this Boey stressed that his intention was not to denigrate but to praise the impressive speed at which his family domestic helper had scaled the coconut tree like a monkey.
He also recounted in the chapter that he had returned to the tree to try to climb the tree at the same speed.
He deeply apologised to the parties that took offence to his comic and the people he had unintentionally hurt.
"I love, and those are not my core values. This storytelling journey has been fantastic and I have learned so much from it," said Boey.
“With its ups, comes the downs, and this is a lesson I will learn from. I thank you all for this opportunity to educate and entertain,” he added.
