FMT Issues Apology After Reporter’s Question at George Galloway Lecture Sparks Controversy
Free Malaysia Today (FMT) has issued a public apology and taken disciplinary action against one of its journalists following a question posed at a public lecture by UK politician George Galloway that drew criticism for allegedly carrying racial overtones.
The incident occurred during a lecture titled “Gaza Exposes the Complicity of International Actors”, held on 12 January 2026. During the question-and-answer session, an FMT reporter drew a comparison between the situation of Chinese Malaysians and Palestinians in Gaza, and further likened Zionism to certain elements within Malaysia, before inviting Galloway to comment.
Galloway rejected the comparison during his response. Video recordings of the exchange subsequently circulated on social media, prompting public discussion and criticism.
On 13 January 2026, FMT released a statement distancing itself from the question posed by its journalist. The media organisation said it had no prior knowledge of the question, did not approve of its framing, and had initiated an internal investigation after the matter began trending online.
According to FMT, the investigation resulted in disciplinary action against the journalist involved. The organisation also addressed claims circulating on social media, stating that the journalist did not use the term “apartheid” during the forum.
Nevertheless, FMT acknowledged the sensitivities contained in the comments and the question posed, noting that they had been denounced by Galloway. The organisation expressed regret for any distress caused to the speaker, event organisers, attendees, and Malaysians, and issued a public apology.
The statement was jointly signed by FMT executive chairman Nelson Fernandez and managing director Azeem Abu Bakar.
The apology marked the second public retraction linked to FMT within the same week. A day earlier, former FMT columnist Murray Hunter issued a public apology to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) as part of a settlement agreement.
Hunter retracted several articles that were deemed false and defamatory, acknowledging that his writings could be read as inaccurate and misleading. He also apologised for any damage caused. The retraction followed legal action, police reports filed in both Malaysia and Thailand, and a High Court ruling that found him liable for defamation.
The two incidents, occurring within days of each other, have placed FMT under renewed public scrutiny regarding editorial oversight, journalistic standards, and accountability within Malaysian media organisations.
TheRealNehruism (nehru.sathiamoorthy@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.
