Malaysian Journalist Briefly Detained for Sedition Over a Question During a Public Lecture

The journalist resigned and issued an apology after facing harassment for asking a controversial question

A person in a patterned blouse taps on a smartphone near a notebook during a podcast recording. Two microphones and a cup on a saucer are on the table.

Press freedom concerns grow in Malaysia after a journalist was detained and investigated for sedition over remarks made at a public forum.Photo by George Milton

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Feb 09, 2026, 23:30

This story by Mong Palatino originally appeared on Global Voices on February 9, 2026.

Malaysian journalist Rex Tan, formerly of the outlet Free Malaysia Today (FMT), was detained for half a day as he faced a sedition probe over a question he raised in a public lecture.

On January 12, he attended a public conference organized by the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies titled “Gaza Exposes the Complicity of International Actors,” featuring a British politician, broadcaster, and writer, George Galloway. During the forum, Tan raised a question about combating xenophobia in Malaysia and mentioned bias and racism toward ethnic Chinese communities in Malaysia. The question was as follows:

I think you should rightly observe the parallel between the Palestinian problem and the Chinese problem in Malaya. Both are British colonial legacy problem, where the Palestinians are seen as the interloper among the Zionists, while the Chinese, at the time, the population, which is about 50 percent of Malayia, was seen as aliens. So, and sadly, this xenophobic mentality is still around today, and I must say, it is way more of a serious magnitude in Palestine. So I want to ask a more introspective question. I think currently what we are facing here is due to a rather right-wing exclusive nationalism. Essentially some sort of a synophobic mentality that really see people as ‘us and them.’ And as much as some of the Malay Muslim pro-Palestinian supporters here, they hate the extremist right Zionism, but they themselves also often espouse anti-immigrants or rather exclusive nationalism idea in this country. How can we deal with this rather exclusive way of seeing ourselves and the people around us?

In response, Galloway said it was a “grotesque” comparison, arguing: “I don't think you do your cause any favor by comparing yourself to the Palestinians. The Palestinians are the most savagely repressed people on earth. Now, I haven’t been over all of Kuala Lumpur today, but I didn’t see any tanks. I didn’t see any guns. I didn’t see any trucks. I didn’t see any special roads for special people.”

The exchange was uploaded online and sparked an intense backlash from those who criticized the comparison and accused Tan of inciting communal hatred. Aside from religion and royalty, race is among the highly sensitive topics in multiracial Malaysia, which is about 65 percent Muslim and about 23 percent ethnically Chinese.

FTM was quick to issue a public apology, noting it “regrets the distress our journalist caused at the recent forum on Gaza.” After receiving online threats, Tan resigned from Free Malaysia Today and issued a separate apology.

I am deeply sorry for my poorly constructed question, my failure to take into account its relevance to the event, and for asking it without sufficient consideration of its sensitive nature. I wish to state here unequivocally that I had not the faintest intention to be incendiary or to pose a racist question, and regret deeply that it has been perceived as such. I also wish to state that I did not intend to agitate any community — be it the Malays, Chinese, or Palestinians — and I unreservedly regret that my lack of sensitivity has caused tension among Malaysians. I therefore beseech the public for restraint, and to refrain from sharing, creating, or further commenting on posts that perpetuate this misunderstanding, which may further inflame public discourse.

Despite his apology and his promise to cooperate with authorities, he was still detained on January 17 after being summoned by the police to face a sedition probe. He was released on bail, but his phone was seized for the ongoing investigation. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to up to three years in prison.

In a media interview, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail urged the public to stop harassing the journalist, as he and his family were being threatened, doxxed, and harassed online. At the same time, he reminded the media to be more circumspect in their statements.

Using social media platforms to issue threats benefits no one. It only adds to the tension. At the same time, the message is that we must respect sensitivities in a multiracial country so that we can continue to live in peace and harmony.

Media and human rights groups sounded an alarm over Tan’s arrest and his sedition probe. The newly-established Malaysian Media Council said his arrest and detention “appear unnecessary and punitive.”

…this case raises serious questions about the risks faced by media practitioners: can a journalist be deemed to have committed sedition or caused public mischief simply by asking a question at a public forum? Heavy-handed and punitive action against a journalist has a chilling effect on the media and public discourse, and reflects poorly on a government that has repeatedly committed itself to upholding freedom of expression and press freedom.

The Center for Independent Journalism said authorities should have allowed the Council to resolve the issue.

Given the Malaysian Media Council has also offered its services to facilitate conciliation in good faith, we must question why the authorities have not allowed them to reconcile this matter as is their role. Its position and the abilities it has been equipped with would allow them to deal with this matter in line with international standards whilst meeting the public interest.

Media advocacy group Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm) warned that Tan’s arrest could set a dangerous precedent.

Geramm takes the stand that Tan’s arrest risks future criminalisation of journalists who are accused of asking ‘sensitive,’ ‘controversial’ or ‘ignorant’ questions. Geramm reiterates our position that regardless of differing views on reporting or questioning, media workers should not be subjected to actions that compromise their safety, dignity or ability to work freely.

Global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said the incident is the latest “episode in the misuse of the country’s Sedition Act, which continues to pose a serious threat to press freedom in Malaysia.”

“It is shocking that in democratic Malaysia, a journalist could be charged on suspicion of ‘sedition’ for simply asking a controversial question in public,” it added.

This is not the first time that Malaysian journalists have faced a sedition probe in the course of doing their work. In 2023, a book author and publisher was briefly arrested for allegedly disrespecting the country’s coat of arms.

(SY)

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Malaysian Journalist Briefly Detained for Sedition Over a Question During a Public Lecture

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