ONCE again, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) swoops in, not to protect the people but to “request” a news portal to take down a damning video about alleged corruption in Sabah. Malaysiakini’s report, which includes details of a whistleblower facing death threats, is now under threat itself—apparently because it might interfere with police investigations.
Let’s break this down. We’re talking about an RM70 million project, blocked for reasons that a state assemblyperson claims were merely a “sarcastic conversation.” Sure, because sarcasm always involves returning bribes in cash. Arsad Bistari, the Tempasuk assemblyperson featured in the video, insists the recordings were “maliciously edited.” It’s almost laughable how often this excuse gets recycled. Didn’t we hear the same thing when certain leaked audio clips during the Najib era “magically” emerged?
Meanwhile, the whistleblower—a person brave enough to call out corruption—has reportedly been threatened with death by a “hired killer group.” This should be the focus of outrage and immediate action. Instead, MCMC’s top priority is suppressing media coverage. Is this how we protect whistleblowers?
MCMC claims the takedown request is about ensuring safety and preserving the integrity of police investigations. But let’s not kid ourselves—this isn’t the first time the government has gone after the media instead of addressing the issue at hand.
Remember when the 1MDB scandal first surfaced? Authorities scrambled to shut down The Edge’s reporting instead of tackling the corruption exposed. The strategy is simple: if you don’t see the problem, it doesn’t exist. Out of sight, out of mind.
This culture of silencing doesn’t just stop at the media. It seeps into the lives of whistleblowers who risk everything to reveal the truth. Think of Nor Salwani Muhammad (later conferred Datukship for her courage), who safeguarded crucial 1MDB audio recordings. Her courage was met with harassment, not protection. The same goes for countless others who have had to fight against both corrupt institutions and the very system designed to protect them.
What’s truly disturbing is the skewed sense of urgency. A video exposing possible corruption is treated as a greater threat than the actual death threat to the whistleblower. The whistleblower claims to have evidence of top officials discussing returning bribes, yet we’re debating the “malicious editing” of a video?
The Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 is a joke if people who expose corruption end up fearing for their lives while authorities focus on silencing the press. The public doesn’t need protection from information—we need protection from those trying to bury it.
If this is the state of “Madani governance,” then perhaps the government needs a refresher course on what “reform” actually means. Here’s a reminder: it doesn’t mean shielding the powerful from accountability while throwing whistleblowers under the bus.
Abdul Rahim Md Noor 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 Newswav.
