KUALA LUMPUR – Australian political commentator Murray Hunter has publicly apologised and retracted a series of articles and posts in which he made statements about the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and its chairman, Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din.
He said he and MCMC have discussed and reached an understanding via a settlement agreement.
“I acknowledge that my comments and article about MCMC and its related persons can be read to be inaccurate, misleading and have led to misunderstandings. I therefore apologise and regret if such actions caused any damage to MCMC and/or related persons, and I hereby fully retract all such comments and articles in their entirety,” Hunter said in a statement.
Hunter’s publications, which appeared on platforms including his Substack blog, Eurasia Review, and X (formerly Twitter), included claims that MCMC had overstepped its authority and was politically compromised.
Some articles directly criticised Salim, including one titled “Why Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din must step down as chairman of the MCMC – Holders of public office shouldn’t have any conflicts of interest.”
Other pieces alleged MCMC engaged in intimidation of the public, such as “MCMC is out of control – MCMC raiding homes of citizens.”
In October 2025, the High Court in Shah Alam ruled in favour of MCMC in its defamation suit against Hunter, determining that the articles contained false and defamatory claims that had harmed the commission’s reputation.
“The publications carried serious and unfounded allegations which misled the public and damaged the reputation of the Commission,” MCMC said in a statement following the ruling.
“The right to free speech does not extend to making false, malicious, or defamatory statements that harm the reputation of others.”
MCMC emphasised that its legal action was intended to protect its institutional integrity and reinforce accountability in Malaysia’s digital landscape.
Hunter had faced related legal proceedings in Thailand. Last year, he was arrested in Bangkok for allegedly failing to respond to multiple summonses from Thai authorities.
Hunter, who resides in Hat Yai, faces criminal defamation charges over four articles published on his Substack blog. The case, initiated following a complaint by MCMC, carried penalties under Thai law of up to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of 200,000 baht (RM26,000). – January 13, 2026