Kuala Lumpur: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has today released a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document explaining its decision in two recent cases involving “racial, religious and royalty” issues or “3R”.
In the document, MCMC said Era FM operator Maestra Broadcast Sdn Bhd was fined RM250,000 based on a recent amendment to the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, while the case involving comedian Harith Iskander and Facebook user Cecelia Yap had come before the amendment.
“Considering that the content involved a public interest issue that caused racial and religious unrest, a compound of RM250,000 was imposed on the company,” it said, referring to Maestra Broadcast.
“For reference, under the amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, the maximum penalty is a RM500,000 fine and imprisonment of up to two years or both.”
MCMC said it had already summoned the senior management of the company for an explanation before issuing the fine.
“The company was advised to ensure strict content control, adhere to content guidelines, and provide ongoing staff training to prevent legal violations,” it added.
Meanwhile, MCMC also noted that it had issued a compound of RM10,000 each against Harith and Yap for alleged offensive content and comments about Islam on Facebook on January 18, 2025.
“This action was taken under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, based on the provisions before the Act’s amendments, which took effect on February 11, 2025.
“At that time, the maximum penalty was a fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment of up to one year or both,” it said.
Last night, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said that no further action will be taken against Era FM hosts Nabil Ahmad, Azad Jazmin John Louis Jeffri, and Radin Amir Affendy over their recent video clip mocking the Hindu community and the Thaipusam celebration.
Harith had previously expressed his reaction to what he saw as the absurdity in the furore against the “ham and cheese” sandwich sold in convenience stores, while Yap had commented in his post with an offensive remark involving Muslims.
Meta has since taken down the Facebook post.
