KUALA LUMPUR, November 10 – The Communications Minister, Fahmi Fadzil, has clarified that the actions taken against certain social media posts by pro-Opposition leaders or supporters are in line with regulations governing the spread of fake information or offensive and defamatory content. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), under his ministry’s purview, is responsible for addressing such issues.
The regulations are based on the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and are not limited to the topics related to “race, religion, and the royal institution,” which are considered sensitive in Malaysia. This statement was made in response to allegations that the government is suppressing dissent through the MCMC’s actions. Pasir Mas MP Ahmad Fadli Shaari of PAS had claimed that MCMC’s actions were a form of government censorship and suggested that the ruling coalition should address such content through open debates rather than requesting takedowns.
The minister confirmed that the Information Department had received an appeal from the Islamist party’s publication Harakah regarding the revocation of media passes for its writers. The appeal will be deliberated, and the minister emphasized the importance of journalistic ethics in addressing such matters. The issue arose after accusations that articles in Harakah and HarakahDaily contained defamatory statements linking Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to Israel, which he and the Opposition denied.
