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🇲🇾 Malaysia /Culture & Society

Drama makers urged not to put profits ahead of morality

From Utusan Malaysia · () Malay

Translated from Malay and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Deputy Minister Marhamah Rosli warned creative-industry practitioners against pursuing profits at the expense of moral values and religious sensitivities.
  • Her comments followed public concern over scenes in the Malaysian drama Madu Atau Racun that remained accessible on other social-media platforms.
  • A streaming platform has temporarily removed six aired episodes and delayed six more for editing and review under Malaysian content guidelines.

Creative-industry practitioners should not chase profits by ignoring morality, religious sensitivities and the effects of their content on society, Malaysia’s deputy minister for religious affairs, Marhamah Rosli, said in Tawau.

Her warning followed controversy surrounding the drama Madu Atau Racun, which has caused concern among members of the public. Marhamah said creators must consider commercial and business interests, but those aims should not lead them to discard moral values.

“However much we want to commercialise a work, we need to remember that the work must also carry values. These values will determine whether it has a positive or negative effect on society,” she said after officiating the second 2026 series of the Community Sulh Partners programme and the Maintenance Enforcement Operation programme.

However much we want to commercialise a work, we need to remember that the work must also carry values. These values will determine whether it has a positive or negative effect on society.

· Marhamah RosliMalaysia’s deputy minister for religious affairs warned that commercial goals should not override moral values.

Marhamah said she understood the public’s concerns and hoped appropriate, firm action would be taken over immoral scenes that could still be accessed on other social-media platforms. She said she had initially understood that six remaining episodes had been removed from broadcast and six others postponed for re-editing, but later learned that several episodes remained available.

She urged the industry to follow guidelines issued by Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development, known as JAKIM, and to show greater sensitivity to public concerns. Creators may want to teach lessons by depicting events that have occurred in society, she said, but “it does not mean that things that are unnecessary must be shown to the public.” The platform agreed the previous day to temporarily remove six released episodes and postpone the remaining six while all 12 episodes undergo editing and review under Film Censorship Board and Communications and Multimedia Content Forum guidelines.

But it does not mean that things that are unnecessary must be shown to the public.

· Marhamah RosliShe addressed creators’ argument that controversial scenes can teach lessons about events in society.
About this summary

Originally published by Utusan Malaysia in Malay. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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