The key findings and analysis of artistic freedom in Malaysia from the Southeast Asia Artistic Freedom RADAR, 2025.
Introduction
Entering the midpoint of its five-year electoral mandate in 2025, the Anwar Ibrahim-led government which comprises an uneasy coalition of conservative, progressives and ethno-nationalists parties, had a rare opportunity to consolidate politically due to the fragmentation and infighting between the ethnocentric and ethnoreligious-based opposition parties. Ahead of the next general elections, due by 2028, this apparent stability seems to have instigated Anwar, who came to power on a reformist agenda, to court the more conservative elements of the majority Malay community. Here, multiple interesting dynamics emerge, particularly if we centre the arts and culture landscape as a proxy site for influence amongst contending voter bases.
Malaysia’s standing in global governance and rights rankings reflects this contentious situation in 2025. With modest improvement alongside persistent structural challenges, Reporters Without Borders, ranked Malaysia at 88th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index. It marks a notable rise from the previous year but remains within what is classified as a “problematic” media milieu. Meanwhile, Freedom House rates Malaysia as “Partly Free” in its Freedom in the World 2025 report, with an overall score of 53 out of 100. Together, these assessments suggest broader concerns surrounding political contestation, institutional reform, and the protection of civil liberties.
Impact on Artistic Freedom
In 2025, 44 violations and challenges to artistic freedoms were recorded in Malaysia. Continuing the trend in previous years, the targeting of writers, publishers, bookstores and book discussions dominated, with 27 cases. Meanwhile, under the Films and Broadcast category, 6 cases were logged, including cuts or bans to films and documentaries. There was also a case of public condemnation of a live broadcast of music awards, featuring a few male celebrities who were accused of wearing gender-non-conforming outfits.
In visual arts, two notable cases include Fahmi Reza, the graphic artist and activist who was investigated following the appearance of a satirical sticker depicting a rat labelled “PM”, an acronym of Prime Minister (Fahmi Reza via Instagram, 3 December 2025). Fahmi Reza, incidentally, is the most targeted artist in RADAR’s database, spanning 2010- 2025 and covering 7 countries. The other case involves the censoring and alteration of a Thai artist’s work, accused by members of the public of resembling a penis. The artist clarified that it was in fact, a mushroom (Jakkrapan Sriwichai via Facebook, 12 November 2025).
The graph above highlights how precarious the landscape of artistic freedom in Malaysia can be. The challenges to artists and artworks are multidirectional, coming from state and non-state agents. In total, 29 cases involved challenges by state-based agents at first step. Twenty-four of these were publications banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is also common for publications to be targeted post production. One striking example is the Malay translation Golongan Muslim Pertama: Sejarah dan Memori (The First Muslims: History and Memory) by American scholar, Asma Afsaruddin, published in English in 2007 and translated into Malay in 2018. After more than six years in circulation, the Malay edition was banned in 2025, while the English version is not. There have been multiple cases of such bans: the Malay translation of Menuju Reformasi Perundangan Islam (2006) by scholar Abdullahi Ahmed an-Na’im which was banned in 2017 and the Indonesian-language translation of Charles Darwin’s classic title, Origin of Species, was listed as a banned book in 2006. With Malay being the national language and spoken widely, such banning highlights how, from time to time, the language is heavily politicised by the elite in the country in policing discourses.
Ten cases recorded were initiated by members of the public, with only 2 cases targeted by a religious-based NGO. Three cases were by anonymous actors. The majority of the public-led challenges, mostly in areas grouped by our research under the heritage and customs-related forms, were viral online pile-ons.
Five such cases, including accusations of women being semi-nude at a Songkran water festival and a traditional performance of Kuda Kepang, highlights how members of the public initiate the challenge, which then causes state actors to reassert its power, ensuring arts and culture remain a site of control in Malaysia. With regards to at least one of the anonymous cases, seven plainclothes men were seen carrying Falun Gong related exhibitions material to a tourist van before it drove away (@falungonginfo on Youtube, 22 August 2025). Falun Gong is a worldwide spiritual movement that combines meditation with qigong exercises which is a banned organisation in China, leading to media and public speculation that China might have been involved. If so, it might represent a worrying trend of geopolitical forces impinging on artistic freedom, observed in other parts of Southeast Asia by RADAR.
Malaysia has 3 cases that involved up to 4 cumulative steps of oppression. In one case, Dolla, a Malaysian all female K-Pop trio was targeted because of their music video, QUESTION. Upon release on 6 November 2025, it was criticised by some online users for being “too revealing and the dancing too sexy” (The Rakyat Post, 17 November 2025). It also drew criticism from prominent religious figures, including Ustazah Asma’ Harun and Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar, a former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Religious Affairs. The third party to criticise the work was Minister of Communications, Fahmi Fadzil. As a result, the music video was then removed by Dolla’s record label, Universal Music. The controversy influenced the group’s decision to cancel their tour. In another case, the writer, Benz Ali and his publisher, Gerakbudaya were called multiple times for investigations as a result of his science fiction novel, Bumi (Earth).
Dolla’s case is not an exception. Rather, it reveals a continuous trend where themes that touch on gender, sexuality and sex are flashpoints, even if the content or intent is fairly innocuous and meant for entertainment. The (Nearly) Teenage Boy’s Guide to (Almost) Everything, and Darlingku Mr Cold Mafia, are books which deal with themes such as teenage angst or romance, which were both banned.
Thirty-nine works or artists were targeted under the broad category of moral policing, which covers cases where the work is accused of violating imposed boundaries of religion, tradition, gender, sexuality or morality. This particular trend has been consistent throughout RADAR’s research period, from 2010 to 2024.
It highlights the intertwined elements of religion, morality and tradition used to police gender and sexuality. The targeting of male attendees who were accused of cross-dressing and being “lelaki lembut” (soft men), at a red carpet event during the live broadcast of a song awards, 39th Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL), is a case in point (Amin Idris Facebook post). Netizens’ accusations led to reprimands from religious authorities, influencers and the Minister of Communications. Meanwhile Kuala Lumpur-based underground musician, killamisha faced gender-based violence and threats after one of her performance clips went viral. Members of the public commented on her style and technique of singing, particularly one of her singles, ‘Sensasi Seksaan Kubur’ (‘The Sensation of Grave Torment’) (Gempak.com, 14 March 2024).
Another was the controversy stoked by netizens over a video of several women accused of dancing “semi-nude” at Songkran, a water festival which had been supported by the state government in the past. Celebrated by Thai and Siamese descendants in Malaysia, the case highlights how art and cultural forms are contested and constrained as a political tool under the pretext of protecting public morality.
There is a worrying trend of targeting forms and practices that have been part of traditional practices in Southeast Asia for centuries, which have now become taboo due to an encroaching religious conservatism. This dynamic is encapsulated by a viral video depicting several participants in a trance-like state during a performance of traditional Javanese dance Kuda Kepang, which led to allegations that the broader cultural performance contained elements contrary to Islamic teachings. As mentioned by prominent scholar, Ghulam-Sarwar Yousof, this can be attributed to a larger trend of ‘increasing Islamisation'(Ramlan & Quayum, 2010).
Another case involved the sarong, a beloved attire worn by both men and women across the region for centuries. Keretapi Sarong (Sarong Train), an annual event organised by LOCCO, encourages train commuters to wear traditional sarongs for a day. Last year, multiple social media users circulated photos of participants of Keretapi Sarong 2024, accusing them of “crossdressing” and wearing “inappropriate attire” (Fulcrum, 29 September 2025). In anticipation of a similar public backlash, LOCCO practised a certain degree of self-censorship, posting on social media that it “does not condone crossdressing or any acts against local norms” (LOCCO via X, 8 April 2025). This case echoes a 2024 case where singer-songwriter Mimi Fly was accused of disrespecting the fasting month in her Hari Raya (Eid) music video, Serumpun because she exposed her shoulders while dressed in a traditional “berkemban”-styled sarong, a way of wearing the sarong that is still commonly used across the region.
Although most creators and presenters were not able to defend their right to artistic freedom when targeted, there is a growing community of arts and cultural practitioners working to organise on multiple fronts. This can be evidenced in the counter-challenges to the violations in Malaysia through strategic tactics (2 cases) and non-compliance (8 cases). For example, Gerakbudaya’s Hall of Banned Books is a courageous act in displaying dissent, documenting and making visible the violations to artistic and intellectual freedom, as well as to its work as an important independent publisher. Art X Law Initiative Malaysia (ALIM) is one such group, newly established and adding to the efforts of organisations such as Freedom Film Network, PEN Malaysia, and ReformARTsi amongst others. ALIM focuses on legal advice, policy advocacy and educational resources, and through focus group discussions and forum-based approaches, it provides a new and important strategic and safe space in engaging with the evolving nature of artists rights, artistic freedom and censorship in Malaysia.
Conclusion
Artistic freedom in Malaysia in 2025 continues to be shaped by a decade-long trend where a convergent ecosystem of control involving state institutions and public actors thrive. Accusations rooted in morality, religion, gender, and sexuality serve as key entry points for intervention, with moral policing dominating the majority of censorship cases. The state’s expanding regulatory role, through censorship, legal amendments, and entities such as FINAS and the Home Minister are heavily involved in the process. Another entity is the Central Agency for Application for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (PUSPAL) which has been further strengthened through its updated guidelines that now extend to policing audience conduct and dressing during performances.
Public outrage, often amplified and politicised online, frequently precedes state action, and thus normalises censorship. Though the arts remain both target and vehicle: while subjected to restriction, they also expose and contest these tensions. Cases such as the traditional Songkran festival further reveal pushback against the politicisation of culture, underscoring the arts as a critical site of negotiating ideological struggle.
References
Alatas, Sharifah Afra, “‘Pride’ and Online Prejudice: Not All Aboard Malaysia’s Keretapi Sarong (Sarong Train)” via Fulcrum, 29 September 2025.
Amin Idris, LELAKI BERPAKAIAN WANITA DI KARPET MERAH, Facebook, 18 February 2025.
Fahmi Rezam, Instagram, 3 December 2025
Freedom House, “Freedom In The World 2025:, freedomhouse.org
“Falun Gong Information Site in Malaysia Disrupted by Alleged Chinese Police” Youtube, 22 Aug 2025
Jakkrapan Sriwichai, via Facebook, 12 November 2025
LOCCO, X, 8 April 2025
Ramlan, M., & Quayum, M. A. (2010). Mapping the History of Malaysian Theatre: An Interview with Ghulam-Sarwar Yousof. Asiatic, 4(2), 161–162.
Reporters Without Borders, “Malaysia”, rsf.org
Shahril Bahrom, “Malaysians Give Mixed Reactions On Girl Group Dolla’s New MV, Universal Music Takes Video Down” via The Rakyat Post, 17 November 2025
Zikri Rahman
Zikri Rahman has consistently embarked on collaborations with diverse arts, cultural and activist groups in various socio-political projects. Currently, Zikri is currently a Researcher for Malaysia, Arts Equator’s Southeast Asian Arts Censorship Database. He is also affiliated with Pusat Sejarah Rakyat, an independent archival research and documentation focusing on Malaysia and Singapore’s people’s history. Through Buku Jalanan; a rhizomatic network of street library movement he co-founded in the year 2011, it focuses on decentralizing and democratising the modes of knowledge and cultural production. With LiteraCity, he initiated Kuala Lumpur’s literary and cultural mapping project. Zikri is also a writer, translator, independent researcher and curator with an MA in Social Research and Cultural Studies from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan. Through multiple projects and selected publications, he dwells into oral history of Malaysia’s protest movements, critical pedagogy, art and cultural movement / intervention, regional based censorship documentation to the networks of theater practitioners in the inter-Asian context.
