MCMC asks Facebook to block video of Sabah meeting approving mineral licence for Farhash-linked firm

Putrajaya has asked Facebook to block a video uploaded by MalaysiaNow containing explosive audio recordings of a meeting chaired by Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor last year in which a company linked to politician turned multi-millionaire Farhash Wafa Salvador was granted the exclusive right to explore minerals on 70,000 hectares of forest reserves.

The six-minute video, which has been doing the rounds on various social media platforms since this morning, has been blocked for Facebook users in Malaysia.

"Because of a legal request from MCMC, we have to restrict access to your video," reads a notice from Facebook, referring to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the agency under the communications ministry led by Fahmi Fadzil.

MCMC regularly instructs internet service providers and social media platforms to block "undesirable" material, but the blocking of anti-government content has been widespread since Anwar Ibrahim came to power in 2022.

The internet regulator has come under fire for a series of actions against social media users who had criticised Anwar, as well as repeated requests for social media platforms to delete content critical of the government.

Last month, it forced Telegram to block access to "Edisi Siasat", a hugely popular channel that specialises in exposing corruption and power abuse by government agencies and people in authority.

Through the MCMC, Putrajaya has also asked platform providers such as TikTok to delete videos critical of the government.

In 2023, Malaysia topped the list of governments requesting TikTok to remove content.

MalaysiaNow's latest video backs up Monday's explosive report revealing that the Sabah government's minerals agency had approved an application for a coal exploration licence from Bumi Suria Sdn Bhd.

Bumi Suria, a company controlled by Farhash and another individual named Aminuddin Mustapha, has been granted the licence for a forest reserve covering an area of 70,000 hectares – three times the size of Kuala Lumpur.

The approval was given during a two-hour Sabah Mineral Management (SMM) board meeting chaired by Hajiji, which was also attended by senior state officials and mining company executives.

Farhash has denied the report, claiming that the report was "fake news". MalaysiaNow has meanwhile turned down his demand for a retraction and apology, insisting its report was based on "credible and verifiable evidence".

The latest blocking by Facebook is not the first instance of MalaysiaNow being subjected to online censorship by the MCMC.

Just last week, a video posted on MalaysiaNow's YouTube channel about a protest by Kampung Sungai Baru residents facing eviction was also taken offline.

Two years ago, MalaysiaNow's website was blocked for 48 hours, while several other news sites and social media accounts remain blocked for publishing contents not complimentary to the government.