KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 — Malay rights group Perkasa today demanded that the Home Ministry investigate English daily The Star and news portal Malaysiakini for allegedly questioning the royal institution with their reports on contractors of the new palace not paying their foreign workers.

The Star and Malaysiakini last month reported that foreign workers constructing the RM800 million Istana Negara building in Jalan Duta here did not receive wages for three months.

“I call on the Home Ministry to investigate The Star and Malaysiakini for coming up with false reports... against the royal institution,” Wira Perkasa head Arman Azha Abu Hanifah told reporters today at the Damansara police station.

The Malay pressure group’s call comes on the heels of Senator Ezam Mohd Nor’s recent demand for the ministry to probe The Star and Malaysiakini on the grounds of being an “anti-national institution and against Istana Negara”.

MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong had said that The Star’s front-page report dated June 27 highlighting the plight of the foreign workers was focused on the workers and not the palace.

“They are questioning Istana Negara,” Arman insisted when a reporter pointed out that the two media organisations were investigating the workers’ claim of not being paid their salaries, rather than questioning the construction of Istana Negara itself.

“Scholarships, quotas and the royal institution are enshrined in the Constitution... in Article 153,” he said.

Perkasa’s call for the ministry to probe The Star and Malaysiakini comes amidst the ministry’s warning to the Malay group today over an article in the maiden issue of its newspaper, Suara Perkasa, calling for Wee to be detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for allegedly questioning the social contract.

While the ministry let Suara Perkasa off with a warning, the powerful ministry in charge of approving publication permits for all media organisations has cracked down harder on PKR’s weekly newspaper Suara Keadilan.

The ministry has decided not to renew Suara Keadilan’s publication permit which expired on June 30 until it provides a satisfactory explanation over its article claiming that Felda was bankrupt.

Besides calling for the ministry to probe The Star and Malaysiakini, Perkasa lodged a police report today at the Damansara police station against the two media organisations for questioning the Federal Constitution.

“The report about Malaysiakini and The Star is for questioning the royal institution,” said Arman.

“Perkasa is the first in line to protect the royal institution,” he added.