British politician George Galloway has expressed concern over the arrest of former Free Malaysia Today journalist Rex Tan, in a brief comment on veteran activist Tian Chua’s Facebook post.
Chua had condemned the arrest yesterday, describing police action as "disproportionate" and courting broader implications for the clampdown on free speech and open dialogue.
He also highlighted how Tan’s arrest could undermine democratic values and stifle legitimate discourse, further posing challenges to the Palestinian solidarity movement.
In response, Galloway briefly commented on the post, saying, “My thoughts entirely.”
Tan was arrested past midnight on Jan 17 under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act, 1948 and Section 505 (c) of the Penal Code, which is related to making statements with the intent to cause alarm or fear.
He is also being investigated under the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA).
His arrest was linked to a sedition probe based on a question he posed during a public lecture in Kuala Lumpur featuring Galloway, titled “Gaza Exposes the Complicity of International Actors”, which was said to carry racial overtones.
Tan’s lawyer, Rajsurian Pillai, said he had been released from police custody yesterday afternoon and granted a one-day remand.
The move has drawn criticism from various parties, including the Malaysian Media Council, MPs, and former law minister Zaid Ibrahim.
Zaid had pointed out the authorities’ hypocrisy and “selective enforcement” of the law, citing Pengkalan Chepa MP Ahmad Marzuk Shaary as an example.
In October, the PAS lawmaker published a Facebook entry also drawing parallels between Malaysia and Palestine, where he portrayed Malaysia’s non-Muslim and non-bumiputera citizens as threats to Malay-Muslim interests.
Marzuk claimed that the Palestinian people had accepted Jewish immigrants on humanitarian grounds, only to later become victims of oppression and be driven out of their homeland and cautioned the Malay community to “learn from these mistakes”.
‘Repeal Sedition Act’
Tan’s arrest had also prompted a renewed call for the repeal ofthe Sedition Act.
In a statement, Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh said the arrest has raised doubts about Pakatan Harapan government’s commitment towards abolishing “outdated and repressive laws”.
“The matter should be put to rest since Tan has offered an apology, and the government should, instead, look into abolishing the Sedition Act, or at the very least, amending it in line with its reform agenda as it is,” he said.
His statement was backed by DAP Youth, who described the act as “a colonial-era law”, widely criticised for its suppression and criminalisation of free speech, regardless of intent.
They further highlighted how selective enforcement of such laws would only further deepen public distrust, comparing it also to the case of Pengkalan Chepa MP, who faced no consequences or arrest over his remarks.
“In comparison, swift action was taken by the authorities to investigate and even arrest the journalist. Such disparity risks raising serious questions among the public about double standards and equality before the law,” they stressed.
Separately, advocacy group Aliran described the use of "undemocratic laws” as risking redundancy in the role of self-regulatory groups such as the Malaysian Media Council.
They urged the repeal of such laws as necessary, or otherwise risking “an additional layer of repressive control” over the media, in addition to the industry’s own attempts to self-regulate.
Literary advocacy group Pen Malaysia also acknowledged how the move would lead to further self-censorship amongst journalists, “thus jeopardising the search for truth and justice”.
“Indeed, many journalists are already exercising self-censorship, and this incident only heightens the climate of fear,” they said.
The group described how such arrests continued to divert attention from addressing critical issues such as racism, discrimination, and mass violence through informed and principled discourse.
“A state that arrests journalists is one that has lost confidence in its democratic values,” the group stressed. - Mkini
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