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Fahmi Fadzil
Malaysian politician, actor and writer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ahmad Fahmi bin Mohamed Fadzil (Jawi: أحمد فهمي بن محمد فاضل; born 4 February 1981[1]) is a Malaysian politician, former actor and writer serving as the Minister of Communications since December 2023.[2] A member of People's Justice Party (PKR), he has been Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai since May 2018.[3] Fahmi also serves as the government spokesperson for Anwar Ibrahim cabinet.
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He previously served as the Minister of Communications and Digital prior to the 2023 cabinet reshuffle, and has also been PKR Information Chief since July 2022 and was previously PKR Communications Director from September 2013 to July 2022.[4]
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Early life and education
Ahmad Fahmi bin Mohamed Fadzil was born on 4 February 1981 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He is second of three sons born to Datuk Fadzil Yunus, a former director-general of the Federal Land Development Authority group of companies[5] and Datin Fauziah Ramly, who was a senior civil servant coming from Administrative and Diplomatic Officer (PTD) corps.[6] His maternal grandmother Hawa Musa was an UMNO Supreme Council member and head of KL Wanita Umno in the 1960s.[7] His younger brother, Ahmad Fikri Mohamed Fadzil, is a singer-songwriter who performs and records under the Bayangan moniker.[8]
Fahmi has a Bachelor's degree of science in chemical engineering (BSChE) from Purdue University, Indiana, United States.[9]
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Early career
Prior to formally joining PKR in 2010, Fahmi was a writer, actor[10] and an award-winning theatre performer. He appeared in shows such as the 2006 TV series Gol & Gincu (Goalpost and Lipsticks)[11] and hosted the interview program The Fairly Current Show.[12]
He was also involved in social activism, joining the Taman Medan Community Arts Project in 2012. The project focused on addressing racial tensions among young people through performing and visual arts.
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Political career
He began his political career by serving as secretary to Nurul Izzah Anwar, who was Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai. After her victory in the 2013 general election, he also assumed the role of PKR Communications Director and began writing a column for The Star called On The Way.
In 2018, Fahmi was chosen as the candidate to succeed Nurul Izzah as the party's candidate in the Lembah Pantai constituency while Nurul Izzah was moved to the PKR stronghold of Permatang Pauh.[13] He subsequently won the seat with a 5,598 vote majority as PKR became the largest party in Parliament in the aftermath of GE14.[14]
In the 15th General Election, Fahmi successfully defended his seat in Lembah Pantai with a larger majority of 13,912 votes defeating candidates from UMNO, PAS and Pejuang.[15]
Minister of Communications and Digital
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Soon after the formation of the unity government led by Anwar Ibrahim, Fahmi was appointed the new Minister of Communications and Digital.
He announced that he hoped to help usher in a digital golden age by improving infrastructure, securing online data and bringing in investments.[16]
He also said that the administration had no intention of curbing freedom of expression and free speech, but that it drew the line at spreading disinformation, defamation and online hate speech.
In his first year as Minister of Communications and Digital, there were a number of flashpoint incidents.
Fahmi faced criticism after questioning the findings of a survey on the government's first 100 days and accused some social media platforms of facilitating the promotion of fake news.[17]
In July 2023, the Good Vibes Festival in Sepang was cancelled by the government after the member of The 1975 rock group Matty Healy condemned the country's anti-LGBT laws and kissed bandmate Ross MacDonald during the band's performance.
The Ministry of Communications and Digital issued an immediate cancellation directive that forced the three-day festival to shut down, saying it underlined its unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule or contravene Malaysian laws.[18]
On 30 July 2023, a picture of Fahmi speaking at a mosque went viral, with the caption claiming he was delivering a political speech.
However, Fahmi later clarified that he was simply responding to a question about the Good Vibes cancellation.[19]
In December 2023, as part of the Cabinet reshuffle, the Communications and Digital Ministry were split into two with Fahmi remaining as Communications Minister while Gobind Singh Deo took over at the helm of the newly formed Digital Ministry.[20]
Fahmi was also appointed Cabinet spokesperson, tasked with speaking to the media, particularly after weekly Cabinet meetings if the prime minister was unable to attend.[21]
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Communications Minister
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Code of Ethics
In February 2024, he launched a new code of ethics for journalists, replacing the previous code that was established some 35 years previously.[22]
It included eight key ethical points, including that journalists must be responsible, transparent, fair in disseminating information, not influenced by personal interests, deliver legitimate information, respect the privacy and confidentiality of their sources, understand the laws governing the media, and prioritise their journalistic skills.
Press Freedom
In May 2024, Malaysia was ranked 107th in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index Report published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a drop of 34 places compared to the previous year.[23]
Fahmi admitted that being ranked 107 was unsatisfactory but pointed out in 2021 under the premiership of Muhyiddin Yassin, Malaysia was on the 119th rung while in 2022, the country was ranked 113th during Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s tenure.
He added that not one journalist had been arrested nor brought to court ever since the administration took over and that he was committed to defending press freedoms.[24]
It was also cited that press freedom was significantly better than during the Mahathir Mohamad administration in the 1980s and 1990s and the Najib Razak premiership of 2009-2018.
In May 2025, Malaysia's ranking improved noticeably by 19 places, jumping to 88th.[25]
Social media licensing
On July 27, 2024, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) announced that all social media and internet messaging services with at least eight million registered users in Malaysia must apply for an Applications Service Providers Class [ASP(C)] Licence under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588) starting Jan 1, 2025.[26]
In doing so, Fahmi emphasised that over 90% of complaints made to the MCMC concerned scams, internet trafficking, sexual abuse material, grooming, illegal drug sales, access to weapons and the spread of terrorist ideology and hate speech.[27]
In December 2024, he drafted changes to the Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Act saying that it would enhance Malaysians’ freedom of speech partly by clarifying overly broad provisions.[28]
He said that under the amendments, parodies and satirical content would not be criminalised.[29][30]
Media workers’ welfare
On February 19, 2025 he held a meeting with about 30 representatives of media organisations to discuss the welfare of media personnel.[31]
This came after retrenchment exercises led to the loss of over 100 jobs in the media industry, while other employers were guilty of delayed payment of salaries and non-compliance with employee benefits.[32]
Fahmi revealed that he had been helping media workers behind the scenes but was calling the meeting to hold industry owners accountable for their workers’ welfare.
Media Council Bill
The next week, on February 26, 2025, Malaysia’s Dewan Rakyat passed the Malaysian Media Council Bill.[33]
Fahmi called it a significant victory for media freedom and added that he hoped the Media Council could be fully established before the end of the year. He noted that the bill was unique in that it guaranteed minority representation of women and East Malaysians.
He noted that it was a historic moment as the idea for the law was first conceived in 1973, also expressing the wish that a self-regulating body would help safeguard media freedom and look into other issues such as the welfare of media industry workers.[34]
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Personal life
Fahmi is married to Azrina Puteri Mohamed Mahyuddin, known as Myra. They have two sons.[35]
Election results
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Honours
Honours of Malaysia
Malaysia :
Recipient of the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Installation Medal (2024)
Federal Territory (Malaysia) :
Commander of the Order of the Territorial Crown (PMW) – Datuk (2025)[39][40]
References
External links
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