The TikTok account of political satirist and activist Fahmi Reza, 47, is now accessible again after it was permanently banned last Monday (16 December) during a ‘Student Power’ lecture he was hosting on the campus of Universiti Malaya.
It is still unclear what violations Fahmi had allegedly committed on the social media platform to warrant a ban.
What was the lecture about?
Fahmi’s ‘Student Power’ lecture is about his ongoing research on student activism presented through a multimedia lecture that combines rare photos, video footage, newspaper reports, archival materials, and interviews.
The topics of his lecture covers student autonomy, students’ union, student government, speaker’s corner, and solidarity marches.
It also tells the history of the UM student activist movement who dared to fight against the authorities and the government to demand student rights and student power.
Support and criticism of his activism
Netizens on his X (formerly Twitter) account commented that he should not be overly critical of the government.
However, some expressed support for his activism.
Battlefield X – Fahmi vs Amer
One X user by the name of Amer Hamzah supported TikTok’s ban of Fahmi’s account, highlighting the activist’s criticism of all the Malaysian prime ministers and suggesting him to migrate to North Korea.
Fahmi has since responded to Amer’s comment, starting with explaining the difference between a supporter and a macai (follower or lackey).
“A supporter supports based on principles and has the capacity to differentiate between right and wrong. A macai does not have all this, and just follows orders whether it’s right or wrong without using their brain,” he wrote in his response on X.
He added that he has neither been a supporter of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim or any other political leaders nor is he a lackey to any political parties since the time Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad became PM for a second time until now.
Amer then responded with another comment, stating that there’s a difference between Fahmi’s satire and other local satirical artists like Zunar, Dato’ Lat, Senyum Kambing, and Rossem.
“The satire of Zunar, Dato’ Lat, Senyum Kambing, and Rossem critiques ethically and shows that their mentality is clean despite having opposing views.
“Unlike you, your satire is full of pornographic elements such as anuses in almost every illustration. It’s clear that your mentality is dirty and disgusting. And then it is spread on social media and universities. How do you project this disgusting satire into the minds of readers, including young ones,” Amer wrote.
Meanwhile, one more X user in the same comment thread highlighted a post by Amer from 2021 where he said “Politicans who lament and react with impunity towards satire are taking the country backwards”.
Fahmi has sparked multiple controversies in the past by publishing offensive messages, insulting then Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, and producing caricatures related to the government and politics on social media.