PUTRAJAYA, March 12 — The RM250,000 penalty issued by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to Era FM operator Maestra Broadcast Sdn Bhd is a compound and not a fine, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil explained today.
Fahmi said a fine is imposed by the court, if a person or organisation is convicted while a compound is issued by authorities for cases that are not charged in court.
The compound sum, he said, also cannot exceed half of the maximum fine for that offence.
“Since the maximum fine under the amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 is RM500,000, MCMC therefore issued a compound of RM250,000.
“In Maestra’s case, the company is able to pay (berkemampuan).
“As a lesson, MCMC issued the highest compound under Section 233 of the said Act. They (Maestra) must be responsible,” he told reporters during a press conference at the Ministry of Communications, here, today.
Fahmi also clarified the difference in penalties imposed against Maestra, comedian Harith Iskander and Facebook user Cecelia Yap as well as on KK Mart for the controversial socks issue.
While Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 was applied on the first two cases, KK Mart and one of its suppliers Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd were fined RM60,000 each under the provisions of the Penal Code.
Fahmi also reiterated MCMC’s explanation that the compound issued to Maestra was based on a recent amendment to the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, while the penalty issued to Harith and Yap was based on provisions prior to the amendment.
MCMC had issued a compound of RM10,000 each to Harith and Yap for alleged offensive content and comments about Islam on Facebook on January 18, 2025.
At that time, the maximum penalty under Section 233 of the said Act was a fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment of up to one year or both. The amendment only came into effect on February 11, 2025.
