Critics are now calling Anwar's regime the ‘kuku besi' regime
MALAYSIAN authorities are cracking down on online critics of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's administration, with politicians and citizens facing police questioning or charges.
Former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli voiced his concerns after a pro-Pakatan Harapan (PH) supporter's wife filed a police report following a visit by officers from both the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the police at their home.
Rafizi on June 9 highlighted the case of the X user Amer Hamzah, who voiced his views on the PKR elections. Rafizi also identified other social media accounts allegedly targeted for commenting on the recent elections within PKR.
The clampdown coincides with controversy over the Mobile Phone Data (MPD) project, which collects mobile data from telcos without an opt-out, raising privacy and surveillance concerns.
Despite government assurances, critics remain sceptical. Recently, MCMC blocked two Telegram channels, Edisi Siasat (1.18 million members) and Edisi Khas, for allegedly violating local laws.
On June 19, MCMC obtained a court order against Telegram for spreading harmful content, compelling the platform to block the controversial whistleblowing channel Edisi Siasat. This action mirrors the 2015 blocking of Sarawak Report during the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal under former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak's administration.
At least six individuals, including Pahang MCA Youth chief Wong Siew Mun, faced police questioning over social media posts criticising the government's MPD project, which collects anonymous mobile data without opt-out until 2026. Critics fear privacy breaches and surveillance, despite assurances of data security.
Wong, questioned on June 18 for a TikTok video, called for parliamentary debate. Amid rising discontent and coalition tensions, social media censorship has surged, challenging Anwar's free speech and reform commitments.
'They (the authorities) have to stop the data collection. Why is there a need for large-scale monitoring?' said Wong, whose party is aligned with the Anwar-led unity government.
'This involves public interest and trust. We are trying to foster public discourse on this… We have a role to play in making sure the government is doing the right thing,' she told The Straits Times.
On June 18, 2025, Wong was questioned by police over a TikTok video where she criticised the government's MPD project. She questioned whether Malaysia is undergoing genuine reforms or sliding into 'dictatorship', highlighting concerns over the non-consensual collection of mobile data from telcos, raising fears of privacy violations and surveillance.
While Madani is taking the same path Najib's regime took, more people are now voicing concerns over the banishment of freedom of expression online. With the Edisi Siasat 2.0 channel now inaccessible, more people are voicing support for the channel.
An X user said the Anwar regime's iron grip is no joke these days, calling it 'kuku besi'.
The Telegram channel Edisi Siasat 2, which just started breathing two days ago and already hit over 100,000 subscribers, got buried yesterday after they managed to drop one post (complete with a phone number) of Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
The minister had joined the channel the night before, creating a flurry of comments on the channel.
Rejim kuku besi non bukan main lagi ganas sekarang.
Channel Telegram Edisi Siasat 2 – yang baru sempat bernafas dua hari lepas & dah cecah lebih 100 ribu subscribers – pun dah kena benam semalam selepas mereka sempat buat satu posting (siap dengan nombor telefon) bahawa Pahmee… pic.twitter.com/AifCIXeMPq
— Naratif Rakyat 🇲🇾 (@NaratifRakyat) June 21, 2025
A critic of the Madani regime who is also a whistleblower had this to say: 'Edisi Siasat existed as a critic of government institutions since the Muhyiddin government, and look which kuku besi is trying to silence it.'
Edisi Siasat existed as Government institutions' critic since Muhyiddin government and look which kuku besi is trying to silence it. https://t.co/jzpMCQWzmz
— FreeMalaysian (@FreeMsian) June 19, 2025
Note that in the years before Anwar took power, the words 'kuku besi' were used against the Najib regime. — June 21, 2025
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