Thursday, 2 October 2025

BOMBSHELL: Maszlee exposes rogued ‘Little Napoleon’ culture in MoE

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 Little Napoleons gone rogued in the MoE?

BOMBSHELL: Maszlee exposes rogued ‘Little Napoleon’ culture in MoE

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2, 2025: Former Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik has exposed the existence of the Deep State and Little Napoleon culture in the Education Ministry (MoE).

He said the refusal of civil servants to implement ministerial orders was not something new, even when he was the education minister.

So, are civil servants above the law and the Government? If not, why weren't they sacked for refusing to implement ministerial orders?

And the ministry, allegedly, has been actively shielding child abusers, absentee teachers, and massive financial frauds that drain billions from our children's future.

No News Is Bad News reproduces below news report on Maszlee’s bombshell:

Malaysia

‘Deep state’, ‘Little Napoleon’ culture in the MoE is real – Maszlee

According to him, the refusal of civil servants to implement ministerial orders is not something new, even when he was the Minister of Education.

Updated 4 hours ago · Published on 02 Oct 2025 11:04AM

The ‘Deep State and Little Napoleon’ culture in the Ministry of Education (MOE) is true, said the former minister - October 2, 2025

FORMER Education Minister, Dr Maszlee Malik claimed that the existence of the ‘Deep State and Little Napoleon’ culture in the Ministry of Education (MOE) is true.

According to him, the refusal of civil servants to implement ministerial orders is not something new, even when he was the Minister of Education.

“Shaza, my former officer has exposed some of it,” he said via his Facebook today.

Earlier, Maszlee referred to a news portal report regarding his former officer, Shaza Scherazade Alauddin Onn in the trial involving the teacher truancy suit filed by Siti Nafirah Siman against the government in the Kota Kinabalu High Court.

“Yesterday Malaysiakini reported on witness statements regarding the case of a teacher who skipped school that was brought to court during my time.

“My former special officer, Shaza Shahrezad, has revealed everything in her statement.

“Although I had ordered that those guilty be dealt with strictly and appointed a special officer to handle the case, the top management of the ministry has not carried out my instructions through the officers I appointed” he said.

According to reports, Shaza Scherazade informed the Kota Kinabalu High Court that the ministry ignored reports of the misuse of billions of ringgit in a project in addition to cases of child and sexual abuse.

While giving evidence in the case as quoted in the report, Shaza Scherazade claimed that the ministry repeatedly covered up serious misconduct even though violations had been proven.

“In the sexual abuse case, despite clear ministry guidelines, regulations and child protection laws requiring teachers to report such incidents to the police, no action was taken by the teachers or the headmaster.

“In the case of a mentally disabled student who was physically abused - the case was investigated and found to be true - the only course of action taken was to transfer the teacher instead of reporting the matter to the police, even though it was a criminal offence,” she testified.

She said that as a special officer, she was often forced to intervene because the ministry either ignored or failed to comply with the minister's instructions, to ensure that the results remained in line with the instructions of the minister's office. – October 2, 2025

News

Deep State, Little Napoleons: Education Ministry Hides Child Rape, Billion-Ringgit Heists

2 October, 2025


 

In a bombshell courtroom revelation that’s rocking Malaysia’s education system to its core, a former top aide to ex-Education Minister Maszlee Malik has blown the lid off a sinister “deep state” cabal within the Ministry of Education (KPM). These entrenched civil servants – dubbed “little Napoleons” for their tyrannical grip on power – aren’t just slacking off; they’re actively shielding child abusers, absentee teachers, and massive financial frauds that drain billions from our kids’ future. And now, Maszlee himself has stepped forward to validate it all: “This toxic culture is real, and it’s poisoning our schools from the inside out.”

The ugly truth unfolded last Tuesday at the Kota Kinabalu High Court during a landmark lawsuit filed by student activist Siti Nafirah Siman against the government. Siti, a fierce advocate for clean education, is suing over a rogue English teacher who ditched classes for seven straight months, leaving students high and dry. But what started as a simple absenteeism case has morphed into a full-throated indictment of KPM’s rotten underbelly, courtesy of star witness Shaza Scherazade Alauddin Onn – Maszlee’s ex-special officer.

Shaza didn’t hold back. In graphic detail, she painted a picture of a ministry that’s less a beacon of learning and more a fortress for the corrupt. “KPM repeatedly buried serious misconduct, even when violations were proven,” she testified, her words echoing like thunder in the hushed courtroom. Take the child sexual abuse scandals: Despite crystal-clear guidelines mandating teachers to report incidents to police under child protection laws, principals and educators turned a blind eye. In one gut-wrenching case, a mentally disabled student was physically assaulted – investigations confirmed it – yet the response? A slap-on-the-wrist transfer for the perp, no cops involved. “This is a criminal offense,” Shaza fumed, slamming the ministry’s gutless “disciplinary action” that only kicked in after the minister’s office strong-armed them.

And the money? Oh, the money. Shaza dropped a grenade about a “major case involving billions of ringgit” where KPM botched a contract, leading to catastrophic losses. “As far as I know, no action was taken against the officers responsible,” she revealed. These aren’t isolated slip-ups; they’re symptoms of a deep-seated “culture of cover-ups” where whistleblowers are ignored, and the minister’s directives are routinely sabotaged by bureaucratic foot-draggers.

Enter Maszlee Malik, the very minister whose tenure Shaza served under. In a fiery statement to Malaysia Gazette on October 2, 2025 – hot off the presses amid the trial’s fever pitch – he didn’t just nod along; he roared in agreement. “The budaya deep state and little Napoleons in KPM? It’s absolutely true,” Maszlee declared, confirming Shaza’s testimony as “spot-on” and a damning echo of the systemic rot he fought during his time in office.

Drawing from his frontline battles, Maszlee highlighted how these shadowy civil servant cliques – petty tyrants with outsized egos – stonewalled reforms at every turn. “They protect their own, no matter the cost to our children,” he said, pointing to the very absentee teacher saga at the heart of Siti’s suit: Jainal Jamran, the SMK Taun Gusi English guru who not only ghosted classes but allegedly leaked exam questions and even threatened a colleague with murder in Bajau slang: “Jogo kam, pepatai ku kam” (“Watch out, I’ll kill you both”).

Maszlee’s endorsement isn’t sour grapes; it’s a battle cry. He tied it directly to Shaza’s court bombshells, noting how family ties and conflicts of interest – like the Sabah Education Director’s close kinship to the accused teacher – greased the wheels of injustice. Principals like Suid Hanapi admitted to fudging show-cause letters and strong-arming students into fake apology notes to lure back the delinquent educator. “This isn’t incompetence; it’s a deliberate deep state operation to maintain the status quo,” Maszlee asserted, urging immediate purges of these “little Napoleons” who prioritize self-preservation over student safety.

This isn’t Siti’s first rodeo. Her 2018 suit sparked a wave of reform demands, but history repeated itself: A 2020 follow-up case by her juniors netted RM150,000 in damages in 2023, with no appeal – yet the ministry learned zilch. Jainal’s absenteeism plagued multiple cohorts, unchecked by principals who confessed their “weaknesses” only under oath. Shaza, now with the International Labour Organization, lamented never seeing a single disciplinary rap on the absentee’s knuckles during her stint.

The implications? Catastrophic. While kids suffer abuse, educational black holes, and stolen futures, these civil servant overlords feast on unchecked power. Maszlee’s warning rings clear: Without a wrecking ball to the deep state, KPM will remain a den of thieves and enablers. Siti’s case, now barreling toward a three-day hearing finale under Judge Ismail Brahim, could be the spark. But will the powers-that-be finally act, or bury this too?

Malaysians, wake up – your children’s education is being hijacked by the very guardians sworn to protect it. Demand accountability now, before another billion vanishes into the void. Share this if you’re as outraged as we are!

Source : Malaysiakini

Source : Malaysia Gazette

Wednesday, 1 October 2025

Foreign workers with work permits detained by immigration for up to 21 days?

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 Image for illustration only.

Foreign workers with work permits detained by immigration for up to 21 days?

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2, 2025: The above video clip is circulating in WhatsApp and it alleges that foreign workers with valid work permits are being detained in lockups by immigration for up to 21 days just to verify the authenticity of their permits.

The video clip came with this caption:

It takes a foreign worker to expose the level of corruption & poor enforcement ethics in the Madani Govt. A slap to the Home Ministry & shame on Saifuddin.

What do you think?

Whatever the excuses, Malaysia is shamed to the rest of the world!

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Whatever the excuses, Malaysia is shamed to the rest of the world!

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2, 2025: While FIFA ( Fédération Internationale de Football Association) has shamed FAM (Football Association of Malaysia) and Malaysia’s citizenship policy, Malaysians have started questioning the due and fair process of granting citizenship.

They are asking why foreign footballers could get citizenship so easily, while the approval process is ridiculously difficult and hopelessly slow for stateless Malaysians who were born in the country to at least one Malaysian parent.

While FIFA’s year-long ban on Malaysian footballers is another matter, it is certainly an international disgrace.

And FAM has acknowledged a “technical error” in submitting documents for seven naturalised players who were suspended by world football governing body FIFA last Friday (Sept 26), but insisted they are legitimate citizens.

Technical error? Is that an excuse for shaming rakyat dan negara (people and country) to the rest of the world?

FIFA said last Friday that FAM was found to have falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility, enabling them to play in an Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam on June 10. Malaysia beat Vietnam 4-0, and FIFA received a complaint about several players’ eligibility after the match.

And, lawyers have questioned the legality of the naturalisation process that saw seven foreign-born footballers from Argentina, Brazil and Spain granted Malaysian citizenship

Facebook image

HOW COME FAM’s INTERESTS HAVE PRIORITY TO EVEN BEND MALAYSIA’s INMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP LAWS?

How come FAM has so much influence to manipulate laws of our country to allow FOREIGNERS, whose only skill is to play football, to become Malaysian citizens SO EASILY?

NOTE:

Three of the seven foreign players ( Malaysians label them as “ INSTANT-NOODLE MALAYSIAN CITIZENS”) who were suspended because of FIFA’s decision to penalise FAM:

- Hector Hevel,

-Jon Irazabal and

-Joao Figueiredo

Play for JOHOR DARUK TA’ZIM (JDT) ie the Southern Tiger.

 

 

 

A human rights lawyer has questioned the legality of the naturalisation process that saw seven foreign-born footballers from Argentina, Brazil and Spain granted Malaysian citizenship.

Eric Paulsen claimed that Home Minister Safuddin Nasution Ismail's recent justification that the players were eligible under Article 19 of the Federal Constitution because of ancestral links to Malaysia does not stand up to scrutiny.

"The home minister claimed that the seven so-called heritage players were naturalised properly via Article 19 of the Federal Constitution.

"He further explained that under this provision, those who are connected to the country through ‘their family lineage, whether through their father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, or ancestors… with a connection, having lived there… originating from Malaysia’."  - KiniTV

And this is what veteran Sarawakian journalist Francis Paul Siah has to say:

LET ME SAY THIS AS A FOOTBALL FAN:

No matter how FAM tries to justify its decision of fielding the seven foreign-born players, I will have difficulty in accepting ‘non-Malaysians’ to play for my country.

I would still love to have players named Mokhtar, Chin Aun, Abdullah, Arumugam and Santokh in our national team rather than those from Europe or Latin America, just because of their distant Malaysian link.

In Sabah and Sarawak, we still remember and honour James Wong, Hasan Sani, James Yakub and Jahar Nor, our football stars of yesteryears.

There will be no joy or pride in me even if Malaysia were to win the World Cup with foreign-born players. – fs

 

Malaysia’s football association admits ‘technical error’ in document submission for 7 naturalised players banned by FIFA

But the players are legitimate citizens of Malaysia, the association maintained. Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh and Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail have also weighed in on the ban, which has made waves in the football-mad country.

 

 

Malaysian players after their 4-0 victory against Vietnam in the AFC Asian Cup qualifier game at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Jun 10, 2025. (Photo: Instagram/@h.serrano13)

29 Sep 2025 03:41PM

KUALA LUMPUR: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) has acknowledged a “technical error” in submitting documents for seven naturalised players who were suspended by world football governing body FIFA last Friday (Sep 26), but insisted they are legitimate citizens.

FIFA’s year-long ban on the players has made waves in the football-mad country, with Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Johor regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim among the public figures who have weighed in on the issue. 

FIFA said last Friday that FAM was found to have falsified documents to confirm the players’ eligibility, enabling them to play in an Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam on Jun 10. Malaysia beat Vietnam 4-0, and FIFA received a complaint about several players’ eligibility after the match.

The seven players involved are Gabriel Felipe Arrocha, Facundo Tomas Garces, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Javier Machuca, Joao Vitor Brandao Figueiredo, Jon Irazabal Iraurgui and Hector Alejandro Hevel Serrano. 

Besides suspending them for 12 months from all football-related activities, FIFA fined each player CHF2,000 (RM10,560) and the FAM CHF350,000 (RM1.8 million).

In a statement on Facebook on Sunday, Noor Azman Rahman, secretary-general of the Malaysian football association, said it is awaiting the full judgment from FIFA before filing an appeal in accordance with the existing legal process. 

“FAM takes this matter seriously. However, FAM would like to emphasise that the heritage players involved are legitimate Malaysian citizens,” said Noor Azman.

Malaysia's players pose before the start of the AFC Asian Cup qualifier between Malaysia and Vietnam at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Jun 10, 2025. (File photo: AFP/Mohd Rasfan)

Sports minister Hannah Yeoh on Saturday urged all parties to allow FAM to complete its appeal against the players’ ban, which she described as a “current priority” until the issue is fully resolved. 

“The impact of this matter does not only involve the seven players but also our entire national team,” she was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

“Just like the many thousands of Harimau Malaya fans out there, I too am saddened and angry reading about FIFA’s decision,” Yeoh added, using the moniker, which means Malayan Tigers, for the Malaysian national football team. 

She expressed her commitment to protect the rights and welfare of every Malaysian athlete regardless of the sport. 

“Let’s not jump the gun and allow the appeal process to be completed and then we take it from there,” she said.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said on Saturday the process of granting citizenship to the seven players had complied with the Federal Constitution.

The granting of citizenship through naturalisation is provided for under Article 19(1) of the Constitution and involves a strict vetting process before any decision is made, he said, as reported by the New Straits Times (NST).

“A naturalisation case refers to a situation where an applicant, through their family lineage - whether father, mother, grandmother or ancestors - has ties or origins from Malaysia,” Saifuddin said, as quoted by NST.

Describing it as a “very thorough” process, he said his ministry examines all documents submitted to ensure they meet every requirement under the law. 

Saifuddin also clarified the decision is under the purview of FIFA and FAM, and that the Home Ministry’s focus is “strictly on citizenship matters”. 

Johor’s regent Tunku Ismail and Malaysia’s former sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin, meanwhile, questioned who had lodged the complaint and why FIFA reversed its earlier decision.

“FIFA has already approved (the naturalisation) before, so why has the decision changed now?,” Tunku Ismail said in a post on X on Saturday.

Reformati’s press freedom and free speech?

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Reformati’s press freedom and free speech?

 KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2, 2025: The detention and arrest of Australian political commentator Murray Hunter by Thai immigration authorities linked to the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has highlighted Malaysia’s state of press freedom and free speech to the rest of the world.

It has also raised questions about Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s PKR’s so-called Reformasi (Reformation) agenda with Malaysians now dubbing it as Reformati (Dead Rerformation).

The matter of press freedom and free speech is now labelled by some Malaysians as worst than the Umno-led Barisan Nasional regime.

And, this is what Prof Dr James Chin has to say about the matter posted on Facebook:

 

James Chin

This is absolutely outrageous. The MCMC has no business doing this. Murray was voicing his professional opinion — something he's completely entitled to, just like anyone else is entitled to their political views. Since when did that become a crime in Madani land?
Fahmi has the authority to put an end to this nonsense. So why isn’t he stepping in? Isn’t he supposed to be a reformer? Then why is he standing by while the MCMC tramples over basic freedoms?
Let’s be real — Murray will win his case in Thailand. The Thai were doing a favor for their Malaysian counterpart. This is blatant state overreach, plain and simple. It reeks of harassment and insecurity.
And let’s not forget how utterly stupid this move is. More people will now seek out what Murray wrote. Ever heard of the Streisand Effect? Congrats, MCMC and the so-called Madani government — you just made his voice even louder.
Total backfire. You played yourselves. 

No News Is Bad News reproduces below a news report on the MCMC-linked Murray-arrest saga:

Malaysia

Murray Hunter freed on bail, considering charges against MCMC

Hunter later told The Vibes that he was freed on bail and awaiting what comes next in what he describes as a perplexing legal case.

Updated 2 hours ago · Published on 01 Oct 2025 5:24PM

“I’m shocked at what is happening. I have not done anything wrong in Thailand,” he claimed. - October 1, 2025

 

by Ian McIntyre

AUSTRALIAN political commentator Murray Hunter has been released from Thai immigration custody after posting bail.

Having earlier spent some 48-hours in a holding cell in Bangkok, the former academic, is now seeking legal advice over charges of criminal intimidation against the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

In April 2024, MCMC categorically rejected all accusations made by Hunter, who accused the agency of being politically influenced by the current government administration.

The MCMC announced in a statement then that Hunter’s postings were slanderous as he openly accused the commission of acting beyond its jurisdiction for personal interests and claimed that the commission and the police were trying to scare the public.

Hunter was charged under Section 328 of the Thai Criminal Code with defamation, where four of his Substack articles were quoted as defamatory material.

Freed on bail

According to reports, critics have compared Hunter's case to that of Nuon Thoeun, a Cambodian worker.

In October last year, Cambodian authorities reportedly collaborated with the Malaysian government to arrest and deport Thoeun after she posted criticisms of Cambodia’s former long-time prime minister and current Senate president, Hun Sen, on her Facebook page.

As for Hunter, he was detained by the Thai immigration authorities at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on Monday about 7.30am as he was about to leave the country to Hong Kong.

“I’m shocked at what is happening. I have not done anything wrong in Thailand,” he claimed.

Hunter later told The Vibes that he was freed on bail and awaiting what comes next in what he describes as a perplexing legal case.

"I do not think the Thai police even understand why they were arresting me and only told me that I was charged with defamation.

“They could barely pronounce the titles of my articles in English and barely spoke English and repeatedly told me that I had been arrested for defamation,” he said.

Hunter, who has since engaged legal help, said that his case showed that MCMC can detain persons anywhere in the world on ‘trivial matters’ of alleged abuse on social media postings.

"One is not spared even if he or she is living outside the country. I think that is the consequence of my detention."

Hunter has claimed he has not done anything wrong in his postings, saying that he wrote it on the premise of what any journalist does under the globally accepted practise of press freedom.

In the past, Hunter was wanted after a series of reprimands by MCMC for alleged unverified allegations on his social media postings and blogs.

After quitting his lecturing post at Universiti Malaysia Perlis, the Australian academic had lived in Haadyai, southern Thai for the past several years.

He had also taught at an institution of higher learning in Thailand and enjoys ties with both Thai and Malaysian civil societies.

He had occasionally continued to offer analysis and opinions about the state of governance in Malaysia.

MCMC also needs to clarify what role it plays

Senior lawyer S. Raveentharan, an advocate for human rights, said that the case is interesting to note in terms of legal interpretation.

If Hunter committed an offence in Malaysia, he should be repatriated from Thailand to face the latter's courts, and the Thai side need not wait on this matter.

"Why was he detained and then granted bail." 

Raveentharan said that MCMC also needs to clarify what role it plays as the authority on media content.

A formal extradition treaty does exist between Thailand and Malaysia through a treaty signed by both neighbours.

The treaty does provide a framework for one country to request the surrender of a fugitive from the other to face legal proceedings or punishment.

Raveentharan said that it remains to be seen if Hunter was facing charges in Thailand or Malaysia.

Another lawyer who preferred not to be named also questioned MCMC’s actions and what authority they have to detain someone in another country. - October 1, 2025.

ASIA SENTINEL

Thais Arrest Journalist Critic at Malaysia’s Request

Detention awakens concerns over Asean transnational repression of free speech

John Berthelsen
Sep 30

Thailand’s police have taken the extraordinary step of arresting Murray Hunter, a journalist and an Australian national, on criminal defamation charges, apparently at the behest of Malaysia, triggering charges of transnational repression of free speech in Asean.

The September 29 detention, said to have been ordered by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, immediately sent jitters through the journalism fraternity. Thailand, particularly in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, has long been a regional home to foreign journalists for major news organizations reporting critically across the area, particularly on repression in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, which is locked in a bloody five-year civil war with rebels seeking a return to democracy.

Critics are comparing Hunter’s arrest to a May affair in which Malaysia cooperated in the return of Cambodian domestic worker Nuon Thoeun, who was deported back to her home country after she posted on social media criticizing Cambodian government leaders. Thailand itself returned four women and two men in 2024 to be charged by Cambodia with treason for posting social media statements criticizing Cambodian policies and has returned other nationalities to China.

“This again demonstrates the hypocrisy in Asean,” said a prominent Kuala Lumpur-based lawyer, who asked not to be named, ironically for fear of retribution. “While trumpeting on the Asean Commissioner for Human Rights and their commitment to civil liberties, the political reality is that 10 countries cooperate with each other to arrest, charge, or deport governmental critics and dissidents. This occurs even if no crime is committed in the state taking the action. Thus, Murray hasn’t committed any crime under Thai law.”

Journalists are prime targets for such transnational repression, according to the London-based Freedom House. “Perpetrator governments regularly reach beyond their borders to intimidate journalists and suppress truthful reporting,” the NGO said. “Since 2014, 26 governments have carried out 124 incidents of transnational repression against exiled journalists. Authoritarian leaders view independent media and whistleblowers, both at home and abroad, as activists who threaten their power.”

Hunter, who lives in southern Thailand, told local media he was taken into custody at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok at about 7:30 am while preparing to board a flight to Hong Kong. “I was shocked by what happened. I have not done anything wrong in Thailand,” he was quoted as saying.

I’m stuck here,” Hunter said of his Bangkok ordeal in a WhatsApp interview with Asia Sentinel. “It’s unbelievable. The police forces are working together to suppress free speech.” He told Asia Sentinel that he had “just got out of jail and I’m on bail for a hearing on November 17. The MCMC conned the Thai police to use criminal defamation on me. Now journalists in Thailand are not safe if third countries seek Thai assistance to prosecute people they don’t like.”

A long-time resident of Malaysia and Thailand, Hunter is widely known for his stinging critiques of Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan coalition government. Originally an academician and consultant to Asian governments on community development and village biotechnology, he was a lecturer at Universiti Malaysia in the northern state of Perlis until 2015. He has written for a long list of publications including New Mandela, Online Opinion, Pravda, Eurasia Review, MIC, local Malaysian news sites, and others, and is the author of several books. He wrote for Asia Sentinel as well but started his own blog on Substack two years ago.

“I’m tired from a night on the floor in jail,” he said. His troubles with the MCMC actually started last February, he said, when the Malaysian agency filed the defamation charges against him, “but we thought it was all bullshit.”

In April 2024, the MCMC accused Hunter of “slanderous postings” for accusing the commission of acting beyond its jurisdiction for personal interests, of being politically influenced by the Pakatan Harapan administration, and claiming that the commission and the police were trying to scare the public. The commission “categorically rejected all baseless accusations.”

Thai authorities took his passport, he said, and he can’t leave Bangkok before his November hearing.

His troubles with the Malaysian government have been growing for several years, he said. The MCMC blocked his blog, carried on Substack, three years ago. He singled out Salim Fateh Din, formerly the Interim Chairman of MCMC and a senior member of the United Malays National Organization, as a particular foe.

While Hunter has become widely known across Malaysia as an Anwar critic, repeatedly delivering specific examples of corruption and predicting the Pakatan Harapan coalition’s imminent demise, which has earned him the anger of the government, there is little doubt that despite Anwar’s liberal credentials, his administration has become increasingly more restrictive to freedom of information.

Blogs have been summarily shut down, and journalists have been threatened by government officials. “Don’t get upset with me if there is a call or a radio car outside of your house. We are monitoring, behave yourself,” Fahmi Fadzil, the minister of Communications, famously told reporters in 2023. Asia Sentinel has been repeatedly blocked over the years for reporting critically on Malaysian politics and scandals although Fahmi denied it personally in an email.

Earlier this month, the MCMC fined Sin Chew Media Corporation Bhd RM100,000 (US$23,762) for uploading what was described as an incomplete illustration of the national flag, the Jalur Gemilang, on its website, and Sinar Karangkraf Sdn Bhd the same amount for posting what was said to be false information about Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail’s alleged involvement in a local political party.