JULY 24 — We note that this is the second incident in the space of four months, in which authorities have taken an unnecessarily high-handed approach in dealing with The Edge Media Group over a dispute in reports.

In March, we were gravely alarmed that our colleagues at The Malaysian Insider (TMI), including the publisher of The Edge Media Group, were arrested and further remanded by police apparently to aid investigations over a report published on March 25 concerning the Conference of Rulers and a proposal to amend laws concerning Islamic law.

Today, the Home Ministry has suspended the group's publishing license for three months, supposedly for articles on 1Malaysia Development Berhad deemed to be "prejudicial to public order".

To begin with, the very idea that the government can suspend or revoke printing licenses at a moment's notice needs to be done away with if the government is truly committed to press freedom. But to suspend a newspaper over reports that no one has been able to prove were false, is plainly contrary to the notion of natural justice.

By all means, investigate The Edge, its owners and staff. Police have already questioned chief executive Ho Kay Tat and are reportedly due to interview owner Datuk Tong Kooi Ong. Authorities should ask themselves if a suspension aids investigations at all, and explain to the public on what basis they have decided that The Edge has endangered national security.

We call on all stakeholders and the general public to participate in a democratic society responsibly. All parties who feel aggrieved should be given their right of reply and there are proactive ways to engage in public discourse that are more productive and honest, than using the blunt force of anachronistic law.

The Home Ministry should immediately revoke its suspension order, or failing which, the courts must urgently hear the matter once The Edge has filed for a review of the decision, so as to ensure a vibrant and orderly Malaysian society that the FCCM has been proud to operate in.

* This is the opinion of the writer or organisation and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.