The Barisan Nasional (BN) political coalition ruled Malaysia from independence in 1957 until 2018, maintaining power by manipulating electoral districts, appealing to ethnic nationalism, and suppressing criticism through restrictive speech laws and politicized prosecutions of opposition leaders. The BN lost to an opposition alliance in the 2018 general elections, and political affairs have since been characterized by a more complex pattern of competition and cooperation among multiple coalitions, creating opportunities for reform and modest improvements to civil liberties.

• In January, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor began a five-year term as the country’s largely ceremonial head of state. He had been chosen for the post in October 2023, in keeping with a rotation system among the hereditary rulers of 9 of Malaysia’s 13 states.
• Police continued to charge politicians and activists with speech offenses under the colonial-era Sedition Act. Among other cases, former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, leader of the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, was charged in August for allegedly insulting the previous monarch in a campaign speech. He faced up to three years in prison if convicted.
• A chain of retail stores was targeted in a series of arson attacks beginning in March, following a social media controversy in which the chain was accused of selling products that were insulting to Islam. Authorities charged representatives of the chain and its supplier with harming religious feelings. Separately in May, a lone attacker killed two police officers in Johor before being killed himself in what was deemed an act of Islamist terrorism.
• The government and courts took a number of steps that affected media and internet freedom during the year. In February, a lower court sentenced a British journalist to two years in prison in absentia for alleged defamation related to her investigations of a notorious corruption scandal; the Federal Court upheld a parallel civil defamation ruling against her in September. Tighter film censorship rules were announced in May, and in August the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) introduced new regulations requiring large social media platforms to apply for an annual license, raising concerns that the licensing requirements could be used to impose undue censorship. In December, Parliament passed the Online Safety Act and a set of amendments to the 1998 Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA), both of which enhanced the MCMC’s powers to enforce vaguely defined content controls without independent oversight.

This report has been abridged for Freedom in the World 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Freedom in the World is entirely funded by nongovernmental sources such as private foundations, corporations, and individuals like you. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.