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The National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) and the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) will review two ongoing drama series, tighten the conditions attached to filming certificates, and consult the industry on new content guidelines.

The press release described the move as ensuring creativity “grows responsibly.”

Political analyst James Chin described it differently.

“From now on, anything made in Malaysia will have to pass, however indirectly, through JAKIM,” Chin wrote on Facebook a day after the announcement.

New guidelines will make that official.

Three Measures, One Outcome

The three agreed measures are specific.

Drama series Madu atau Racun and Cela will undergo full narrative and content review by a JAKIM panel.

Industry stakeholders will be consulted on content publication guidelines.

And FINAS will add new compliance conditions to the Sijil Perakuan Penggambaran — the filming certificate every production requires before a single frame is shot.

Supporters of the move welcomed it.

Popular film and entertainment account kakimuvee noted on Threads that both dramas were already under scrutiny following public controversy, and that FINAS had confirmed additional filming conditions would be imposed to prevent content deemed harmful.

User iamzaivaluerra went further, arguing that without public complaints the dramas would have aired without intervention — and that the episode would now discourage other producers from pursuing similar content.

That last point is the mechanism: JAKIM holds no direct legislative authority over film production, but the filming certificate is issued by FINAS, the compliance standard will now reflect JAKIM’s guidelines, and the outcome, Chin noted, is the same.

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Not Intended to Limit Creative Freedom

The FINAS press release anticipated the criticism.

Its closing paragraph stated the measures were “not intended to limit creative freedom” but to ensure creativity develops “with consideration for religious sensitivities, cultural values, public interest, and the national legal environment.”

Chin’s response was blunt.

There are already so many rules that it is hard to see how anyone still produces drama here except work aimed at conservative and religious audiences.

The announcement was published under the hashtags #FilemKitaCitraKita — Our Films, Our Image — and #MalaysiaMADANI, the branding framework of the current federal administration.

Commenters on Chin’s post noted the timing.

One suggested Pakatan Harapan (PH), in what he called its “last year of power,” should be producing satirical dramas on corruption rather than tightening the conditions under which dramas are made.

Another floated iQiyi as the more viable platform for Malaysian creative work going forward.

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READ MORE: iQIYI Pulls Drama ‘Madu Atau Racun’ After Government Rejects Screening Over Religious Concerns

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