The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has confirmed its outright ban on Malay entertainment programme Sensasi, after initially decreeing that TV3 should change the 'live' format.

MCMC corporate communications head Adelina Iskandar said the decision was made at a meeting of Coordinating Committee for the Monitoring of Public and Private Television and Radio Broadcasting, chaired by the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry.

Among the 15 government agencies represented were the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry, Information Ministry, Islamic Development Department and Film Censorship Board.

Adelina said the committee had issued a letter to TV3 last Friday, directing it to stop showing the programme with immediate effect.

She also clarified that MCMC had, on Feb 16, stopped the station from broadcasting the programme 'live' and had instructed the station to use a recorded format that would be scrutinised by the Censorship Board.

"However, the committee (subsequently) decided this was not enough," she explained when contacted today.

Numerous complaints

The action followed remarks on air by actress Rosnah Mat Aris, who made a comparison with Prophet Muhammad's marriage to Siti Khadijah, who was older than him, when replying a question about her relationship with a younger man.

Her comments sparked numerous complaints from viewers and attracted the attention of Islamic authorities, but she has since offered an apology.

Following investigations, the MCMC found that the station had failed to adhere to certain rules and regulations or to control the flow of content during the 'live' telecast on Jan 30.

Sensasi allowed local celebrities to discuss current issues and topics of interest. In its sixth season, it was said to have a following of 1.5 million viewers.

The Centre for Independent Journalism criticised the ban in a statement signed by executive director Sonia Randhawa.

Saying censorship in the name of protecting religious sanctity reinforces the belief that opposing views and interpretations are not welcome, she urged the government to lift the ban to uphold freedom of expression.