KUALA LUMPUR —The Malaysian Media Council (MMM) should be allowed to take the lead in addressing complaints against journalists as part of its role to help the media fraternity self-regulate, deputy chairman Premesh Chandran said regarding the case of former Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reporter, Rex Tan.
Asked to comment on Tan’s arrest and the sedition investigation against him, Premesh told Scoop the episode showed that the MMM, formed just last year through an Act of Parliament, must work closely with the government to give greater recognition to media self-regulation through the council.
“For this model of self-regulation to function effectively, the MMM must work closely with the government to transition existing enforcement practices—currently exercised through the police, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) — towards a more calibrated process that recognises the council’s role. This will require sustained engagement and mutual understanding between the MMC and relevant authorities,” he said.
“In the interim, a practical and achievable step would be for the government and the MMM to reach an understanding that, where a complaint involves a member of the council, the MMM should be allowed to take the lead in addressing the matter,” Premesh added.
“This would create space to demonstrate how public concerns and complaints about journalism can be resolved through professional, accountable, and proportionate processes, without immediate reliance on laws that may have a chilling effect on freedom of expression and press freedom,” the Malaysiakini co-founder added.
In Tan’s case, Premesh said MMM is concerned over the manner in which the police, acting on public complaints, moved to arrest and detain the journalist and initiate criminal investigations.
“Such actions risk creating the perception of premature and punitive enforcement, with broader implications for press freedom.”
Tan, 31, who resigned from FMT on Friday, was arrested under the Sedition Act shortly after midnight on Saturday when he presented himself at the Dang Wangi police headquarters.
He is under investigation over a viral video showing him allegedly raising racial issues in Malaysia and comparing them to Israel’s oppression of Palestinians during a public lecture on Gaza that featured UK politician George Galloway. His question drew heated backlash on social media and led to police reports being lodged against him.
He was released on police bail yesterday afternoon after his statement was recorded, while his mobile phone was seized to assist with ongoing investigations.
Tan and his former employer FMT have both issued public apologies. Tan also acknowledged that his question was “poorly constructed”, lacked relevance to the event, and did not adequately take into account its sensitive nature.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail yesterday defended Tan’s arrest, saying police were carrying out their duty according to the law when police reports are lodged, without intention to suppress freedom of expression.
In contrast, Premesh said MMM exists to provide a “professional forum for the assessment and review of journalistic conduct or published work”.
“Any such review would be grounded in established professional standards and examined by industry peers and qualified academics. Where appropriate, the council would seek to resolve issues through mediation or other non-punitive mechanisms, rather than through immediate recourse to criminal processes.”
Premesh added that MMM also has plans to propose legislative reforms affecting media and journalists, including significant amendments to the Sedition Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Penal Code, and the Communications and Multimedia Act.
“The aim (is to align) these laws with the principles of media self-regulation, press freedom, and responsible journalism,” he said, adding that MMM has established a law reform committee to pursue these changes.
Premesh’s own news portal Malaysiakini dodged a bullet recently when a visual on pig farming was published with a caption related to the Umno General Assembly.
Its editors met with Umno leaders including its President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to apologise for the blunder and the matter is deemed closed with the portal taking internal action. — January 18, 2026