MCMC summons admins of ‘illegal temple’ FB group for inciting racial discord

The Malaysian communications and multimedia commission (MCMC) has called up two main administrators from a Facebook group believed to have incited racial and religious discord, potentially causing public unrest.  

The MCMC said it recorded statements from the pair on 27 March, after receiving several complaints against the group. It also confiscated a mobile phone and SIM card for further investigation, according to a statement seen by A+M. 

The case is being investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1988. Upon conviction, the individual involved may face a fine of up to RM500,000 or a maximum imprisonment of up to two years, or both.  

Don't miss: MCMC issues suspension warning to Era FM

The commission had also submitted 110 reports to Meta for the removal of racially provocative content from the Facebook group. Out of the 110 requests, Facebook found that 106 pieces of content breached its community standards and have been removed.  

The MCMC also reminded the public to not misuse online network services and applications by uploading content that could incite hatred towards any race or religion.  

According to the Vibes, the group is reportedly called “Rumah ibadat haram dibina dimana hari ini?” (‘Where are illegal temples being built today?’). The news outlet also reported that the group is believed to have surfaced after the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman temple issue, for members to identify temples which have been allegedly built illegally across the country. 

Checks by A+M revealed that the said Facebook group is still up and active and is currently listed as a public group with over 78K members. Some of the recent posts highlighted the Google Maps locations of allegedly “illegal” Chinese and Hindu temples across Malaysia.  

Over the past month, the 130-year-old Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman temple on Jalan Bunus Enam, Kuala Lumpur became the talk of the town, following announcements that it would be relocated to make way for the government’s Masjid Madani mosque.  However, news surfaced that the temple reportedly occupies part of a piece of privately owned land. Previously under textile supplier Jakel Trading, the land was acquired by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) in 2012.  

According to Free Malaysia Today, there have been calls for the temple to coexist alongside the new mosque, the federal territories ministry said that it is set to be relocated 50 metres away from its current spot off Jalan Masjid India.

This is not the first time MCMC has summoned and taken action against social media users. Back in April 2024, action was taken against a TikTok user @janggut_putih who was suspected of uploading content containing defamatory material. Later in July, MCMC investigated viral posts from a social media account named @BolaTribe that touched on sensitive issues related to the 3Rs (race, religion and the royal institution). 

That same month, the communications ministry revealed that MCMC reportedly investigated 3,077 cases involving offences related to obscene, indecent, false, threatening and offensive elements from 2009 to 15 June 2024. Out of the thousands of cases, 151 were prosecuted in court and were investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, the same section that the "illegal temple" Facebook group admins have been summoned under this week. 

In a similar case to that took headlines earlier this year, the MCMC fined Era FM's license holder Maestra Broadcast RM 250,000, for an offense under section 233 of the same act. The MCMC said it views any action that could cause tension between religions or disrupt societal harmony seriously. A notice of intent to suspend the radio station was previously issued by the commission following the backlash faced by the three hosts for allegedly mocking the religious kavadi ritual in a viral video. However, the station avoided suspension.

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