KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 — The Malay rulers and Islam would not have been insulted if the Internal Security Act (ISA) had remained in force, Malay groups said today after accusing news portal The Malaysian Insider (TMI) of making such insults.

Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) lodged a police report at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters today against The Edge Media Group owner Datuk Tong Kooi Ong and former The Edge managing director Tan Boon Kean for allegedly insulting Malay rulers and Islam when TMI, which is owned by The Edge Media Group, published an article linking the controversial hudud issue to the Conference of Rulers.

“After ISA was abolished, the groups that pushed for its abolishment moved their agendas like insulting the sultan, insulting the Malays, putting down other races... And this was all because there wasn’t ISA,” JMM president Azwanddin Hamzah told reporters at the police station here.

“If we look at the history of these three media companies, all of them released statements that are seditious towards Malay rulers, seditious towards Malay leaders and seditious towards Islam, that’s what we’ve seen since five years ago,” Azwanddin said, referring to TMI, The Edge and BFM Radio, all of which he claims is “owned” by Tong and Tan.

The Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal has denied the TMI report and lodged a police report, after which four journalists from the news portal and The Edge Media Group CEO Ho Kay Tat were arrested earlier this week for sedition.

A BFM journalist is currently under investigation by the authorities after she recently presented a satirical video questioning Kelantan’s priorities in pursuing the implementation of hudud law.