In his affidavit to oppose a judicial review application by publisher Chong Ton Sin of Gerakbudaya Enterprise and writer Ngeo Boon Lin, Hamzah said the contents of the book violated social norms.

“This book is likely to be prejudicial to the public and also has a tendency to incite the people to hold mass protests and subsequently create chaos.

“The government has a duty to preserve peace and to take measures to avoid such incidents from happening,” he added.

Gerakbudaya Enterprise and Ngeo had been granted leave to proceed with their legal challenge earlier this year, in an attempt to quash Hamzah’s ban against the publication.

They claimed the ban on the book, published in 2013, was irrational and violated their freedom of speech.

The ministry had in December last year banned the book under Section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act on grounds that it was deemed an undesirable publication.

Besides that, Hamzah said that under the Printing Presses and Publications Act, he was not required to give reasons to Gerakbudaya Enterprise and Ngeo on why he decided to ban the book.

“I am satisfied that the book contained elements of homosexuality, and the writer was seen to be promoting LGBT by providing various justifications.

“The writer even claimed that homosexuality could ‘control’ the population,” he said.

High Court judge Noorin Badaruddin will hear Gerakbudaya Enterprise and Ngeo’s challenge on Jan 26.