KUALA LUMPUR: Raja Petra Kamarudin knows he could soon go back to jail. The country’s leading blogger was released by order of the Shah Alam High Court last week, after being held in detention since Sept 12, but his troubles are far from over and his freedom could be shortlived.
"The decision to free me was a good sign of a new-found strength by the judiciary. But it is only a sign," said the blogger, who was arrested under the Internal Security Act.
The ISA is an inheritance from the British, who used it in the colony prior to independence in 1957. In essence, it allows for the arrest and internment of any person without the need for a trial in certain defined circumstances.
Raja Petra's alleged crimes were linked to his writing. For several years he has published provocative opinion pieces on the issues of the day, as well as a number of articles unmasking corruption scandals, drawing his information from a wide array of contacts. His blog, Malaysia Today, is one of the most popular sources of independent news in a country where the mainstream media refrains from criticising the government.
With popularity, however, came a lot of trouble. His latest arrest stemmed from accusations lodged by several religious groups, which claimed that his Aug 8 article entitled "I promise to be a good, non-hypocritical Muslim" had offended Islam.
After being held for a few days, he was sentenced to two years in detention without trial. But, on Nov 5, High Court judge Mr Justice Datuk Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad ruled that the arrest of Raja Petra, 58, was contrary to the constitution and said he should be released. He was freed two days later.
Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail is expected to file an appeal against the decision, and the blogger could find himself back in custody.
Raja Petra remains defiant. He said his battle with the authorities was a proxy for the larger contest that sees Malaysia torn between the old political establishment and the new contender, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Raja Petra is a close ally of Anwar's and this association has made him a target of the ruling coalition led by Umno.
"I support Anwar because I believe in what he stands for. But I have attacked him in the past and I would do so again, if he changed his programmes," he said.
"Anwar and (Deputy Prime Minister) Najib (Razak) are like the kings in a big chess game, and my friends tell me that I am the queen. There is little doubt that my future depends on the future of Anwar," he added.
Anwar has promised to allow freedom of expression and to do away with the ISA and pro-Malay policies that have discriminated against the Chinese and Indian minorities for decades. He is trying to convince 31 lawmakers from the ruling Umno-controlled Barisan Nasional coalition to switch sides and allow him to form a government.
Raja Petra's friendship with the former deputy prime minister goes back to 1998, when he was a leading member of Keadilan — the party set up in response to Anwar's arrest and detention.
Anwar, the deputy and heir apparent to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, was charged with, and jailed for, sodomy and corruption, accusations widely believed to have been politically motivated.
Raja Petra, who was also the main mover behind the "Free Anwar" website, campaigned tirelessly for Anwar's release and freely criticised the political establishment. He was eventually arrested under the ISA on April 11, 2001. Accused of plotting to overthrow Dr Mahathir, he spent 52 days in jail.
Fast forward to this year and his political connections have placed him in the middle of a power struggle between Anwar and Najib. The latter is poised to take over as prime minister in March when Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is scheduled to step down.
Najib has been one of the main targets of Raja Petra's columns. In his most controversial article, "Let's send Altantuya's murderers to Hell", published on April 25, Raja Petra claimed that Najib and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, were involved in the October 2006 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian-born translator and former model, who was shot in the head twice before her body was blown up with explosives in a jungle outside Kuala Lumpur.
It is known that the former model had had an affair with Abdul Razak Baginda at a time when he was one of Najib's closest advisers. It is also known she tried to blackmail Abdul Razak when the affair ended, though her motives remain unclear. He was acquitted of abetting the murder on Oct 31.
It has also been alleged that she had an affair with Najib. Many wonder what happened to private detective P. Balasubramaniam, who had also linked Najib to the case on July 1 — but then retracted the allegations and has since gone missing.
For his part, Najib has denied any involvement in the case and swore on the Quran that he never met Altantuya.
Anwar has called for the case to be properly investigated.
The article came at a crucial juncture, and has played a key role in the larger political struggle.
"I am aware that I have raised the stakes with this article and I am prepared to go all the way," Raja Petra said.
Following the article's publication, Raja Petra was charged with sedition and two counts of criminal defamation. The cases are ongoing.
The blogger's wife, Marina, has stood by her husband's claims, and said she feared that when Najib takes power, "there may be even more problems for us".
In the meantime, Raja Petra said he had taken heart from the courage shown by the judge in releasing him, and that he hoped more would follow his example.
"There have always been independent judges, but they were sidelined and subjugated by the government under strongman Dr Mahathir. The government is now weak, Umno is plagued by infighting and there is a strong opposition," he said. "I hope more judges will come out of their shells."
His wife said she had taken strength from the support she received when she led the fight to release her husband. Prominent among those are fellow bloggers who share Raja Petra's view that Malaysia needs change.
News about Raja Petra, a minor member of the Selangor royalty, was — and still is — widely reported and commented on in Malaysia's blogosphere. Bloggers were also behind an online petition to free him and other ISA detainees, which has gathered almost 42,000 signatures, and they attended a weekly vigil in Kuala Lumpur.
Marina explained that she also received public support in the streets from people not normally associated with political life.
"During those days I was often stopped in the street, where people hugged me, shook my hand and told me to keep strong," said Marina, who did not miss any of the court hearings involving her husband. — South China Morning Post
The Malaysian Insider
15/11/08
1 comment:
There is a difference between UMNO and Barisan Nasional. I want to make it clear that it is not the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, but the UMNO government. It is not the government, but UMNO. Barisan Nasional is a coalition of unequals, not equals. UMNO is the big brother in BN. Therefore UMNO must be held responsible; and more importantly, UMNO must not be allowed to hide behind the BN banner. UMNO is the enemy, not BN. UMNO is a racist party which has perfected the art of divide and rule. Using “carrot and stick” UMNO has obtained support. If moderate Malays, the natives of Sabah and Sarawak, and the Chinese and Indians unite, then they can vote UMNO out of office.
For decades UMNO has strengthened her position by destroying the independence of the judiciary. So much so that high officials and the Police can almost act with impunity.
I have come to the conclusion that the easy solution is to completely defeat UMNO in the next elections. We have to vote racist UMNO out of office. UMNO is bent on divide and rule, which has affected Malaysia badly. It is for the next generation of Malaysians to undo the damage done to Malaysia by UMNO. There is a dire need for moderate Malays at the political level. There is also a need for the natives of Sabah and Sarawak to form a third force to protect their own interests. Imagine how UMNO had dealt with Sabah; from a rich state, Sabah has been reduced to a poor state subservient to UMNO. There has to be an explanation. The only way is UMNO has to be voted out of office. The younger generation of Malaysians do not like racist politics and UMNO must be taught a lesson by the younger generation by voting UMNO out of office. Please vote for any party but UMNO/BN.
To my Sabah and Sarawak brothers and sisters I tell you that historically UMNO has always avoided a Royal Commission of Inquiry as much as possible many times. Historically, UMNO has misused the Internal Security Act numerous times. Any political party that is an accomplice to UMNO is also the enemy. Any political party that is a co-conspirator to UMNO is also the enemy. To my Sabah and Sarawak brothers and sisters I say that you should form a third force. A third force would require unity among Sabahans and Sarawakians.
To my Sabah and Sarawak natives, I need you to understand some things. Who is a so called bumiputra? UMNO policy has made it that just about any Muslim (from any nation) who can obtain Malaysian citizenship can claim bumiputra benefits. How about the natives of Sabah and Sarawak? When it is beneficial to the Malays, the Malays cleverly put the Malays, the Orang Asli, and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak together. The Orang Asli of Malaya are not even mentioned in the constitution. Who are the bona fide indigenous people of Malaya? There are some who feel that the Orang Asli of Malaya are the indigenous people of Malaya, not the Malays. It may be possible that the Malays have usurped the position of indigenous people of Malaya and cleverly excluded the Orang Asli in the constitution. If we allowed the Orang Asli or the natives of Sabah and Sarawak to draft the constitution of Malaysia, it would look very different. So, it all depends on who drafts the constitution.
We have to get into the habit of putting people in office through votes, and removing people from office through votes. Nobody should be allowed to topple the government. We have to institutionalize the multi-party political system, one person one vote, and an independent judiciary.
In the 2004 elections (11th General Election), the voters gave good support to Mr.Abdullah Badawi. But reforms did not come. Why? Probably because UMNO had done well in the elections. If UMNO had done well in the elections, then the election results tell UMNO that the voters are satisfied with the status quo. If the voters are satisfied with UMNO, then no reforms are necessary. In the 2008 elections (12th General Elections), UMNO did not do well, but she managed to win. UMNO did lose the 2/3 majority in the Parliament, but she did win, nevertheless. Will UMNO undertake reforms now? I would not be surprised if she did not. Why should she? UMNO is still the winner in the elections; and she can plan to rise and may even succeed to rise again. So, as long as she wins, she will never undertake the reforms. So, how do the voters get the reforms that they need? The voters will get the reforms when UMNO is completely defeated in the 13th General Elections. If UMNO wins zero seats in the next elections (13th General Elections), then some other party would have to rule Malaysia. Let us call it Party B. If UMNO is completely defeated in the next elections (13th General Elections), then Party B would rule Malaysia. Would Party B undertake reforms? If Party B does not undertake reforms, then voters would know what to do.
There is no doubt that UMNO has used gerrymandering to strengthen herself. If we removed gerrymandering from UMNO, then there would be a reduced UMNO. So the non-UMNO voters of Malaysia have good reasons to vote against UMNO.
It is possible that UMNO has used the Police Force to strengthen herself. The Police Force is required to be neutral. But is the Police Force neutral? I appeal to the Police Force to be neutral.
UMNO is a race based political party and also the big brother of BN. So, the complete defeat of UMNO in the next elections is the only way to get reforms. The complete defeat of UMNO in the next elections is the only way to get a new beginning.
UMNO is inclined to believe that Malaysians cannot do anything if they are in any way dissatisfied. The voters, however, have to send a strong message to UMNO that the voters can do something: the voters can vote. The voters can vote against UMNO/BN.
So, the next step for Malaysians is to completely defeat UMNO/BN in the next elections.
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