Laying my RPK ghost to rest, once and for all

Many of you have left comments here and even sent me emails, urging me  to forget RPK and get on with the work of ABU to bury UMNO / BN come the 13th GE.

Thank  you, all, for your patience, in allowing me time to come to terms with what you had all seen but which I, for so long, had great difficulty coming to terms with.

I have, now.

Since my resignation as MCLM president in January, up to July, I have continued to monitor posts by RPK and have, HERE, HERE, and HERE,  written to rebut his ‘divide the people’ assertions, yet still clinging on to hope that perhaps he had a game plan that I was just too dumb to understand.

By late September, I had come to terms with the fact that RPK and I were not on the same cause. This is evident in my “Fear mongering ala RPK style” post.

A week ago, as I wrote my “No, Pete, I do not feel like kicking myself” post, I resolved that this would be my last response to RPK, as the ABU war against UMNO / BN required my fullest attention and I should not allow RPK or anyone else to distract me from the work at hand.

However, since that last post, RPK has published his “Does ABU equal to Anwar-for-PM?” post, replete with untruths and a clear attempt to drive a wedge between ABU and its allies.

I cannot allow that post to go unrebutted.

I will, here, address that last post and then never speak of RPK again.

The day after my last post, I received an email from RPK. My last sentence in my last post had got his attention.

I do not propose to reproduce his email here or my reply thereto. Much was said. I’ll just share what is relevant.

He asserted that I had been attacking him in my last few postings, wanted to know why, and if this was a declaration of war and, if so, that I should make it clear so that he would know what to do.

I replied that I have only declared war on UMNO / BN and it was he who needed to make clear where he stood in this war with UMNO /BN so that I, too, would know what to do.

RPK asserts in his post under reply that the proposed independent candidates in the Barisan Rakyat Independent Candidate initiative withdrew from the same because of  the ‘negative reaction from Pakatan’.

This is not true.

Haslina proffered the reason of being unable to cope with preparatory work needed to be done for her candidacy, given that she had just started a shelter, either for children or for women.

The others withdrew because they were put off by RPK’s interview with TV3 that was aired just before the Sarawak state elections last year.

Ask them.

RPK says “it was agreed that the candidates who wished to withdraw would say nothing for the time being”.

Yes, but not for the reasons as advanced by RPK.

I asked them to not go public as the situation in the country was so fluid and we could not say what the situation would be like later.

They obliged me and made no public announcement at the material time.

Ask them.

RPK then tries to make it seem as if his interview with the UMNO / BN mainstream media in Singapore, the publication of which was my reasons for resigning from the MCLM presidency on 2nd January, this year, was part of a grand scheme that I was privy to, to enable the independent candidates and I to gracefully exit MCLM.

This is a blatant lie.

Arthur, me and RPK, on the boat in Phuket. Photo taken from RPK’s post

Arthur and I joined RPK on the boat in Phuket on the 24th of December, last year.

On the 26th, the day we were to fly off, we waited for everyone else to go shopping so that we could have a discussion with RPK.

RPK then disclosed to Arthur and I that he was off to Singapore after Phuket to do his interview with Utusan.

He had in fact previously informed me about this interview.

The point is that this interview had been arranged even before we met in Phuket and was not part of some ‘graceful exit’ plan as he now suggests.

The one truth in his post is his disclosure of the information I had received from UMNO insiders about a possible “Anwar-Najib” deal, but I am convinced that this revelation by RPK now is with a view to drive a wedge between ABU and our allies in Pakatan.

In my “Is Labuan ready to be ABUed?” post, I said the following, and shared these photos :

“For the many out there who seem to be under the impression that Pakatan and ABU do not see eye to eye, I will let these photos speak for themselves”.

Azmin and local PKR leaders

ABU’s good working relationship with Pakatan not good for UMNO / BN, perhaps?

Yes, I received that information from UMNO insiders and, yes, I shared that information with Arthur and RPK on the boat in Phuket that 26th morning of December last year.

What you may note is that I have never blogged about it.

I receive information, hear rumours and all sorts of stories everyday.

And it is common for bloggers to share such information, rumours and stories with those they trust, rightly or wrongly.

Ask Zorro.

Information, rumours and stories that I receive from UMNO sources, I approach with a sack-full of salt.

And that’s why I never blogged about this piece of information.

A ‘Get Anwar Campaign’ hatched on that boat in Phuket?

Here’s what Arthur has to say :

” “Get Anwar Campaign” ??? hahaha, this is the first time i am hearing this. And so how to get Anwar? maybe we should have sodomy 3 and you the third victim? hahaha, jokes aside.

This is obviously a malicious attempt again to discredit you and so discredit ABU. And as usual the common tactic of driving a wedge between you and your allies”.

Yes, he disclosed to Arthur and I that he was going to whack Anwar in his interview.

My response : If and when the media asked me to comment, it would be that what RPK says in his personal capacity was his own business. MCLM would not fetter his right of expression.

In September, this year, someone met up with RPK in Manchester.

He wrote the following on Facebook upon his return.

“As for my mtg with RPK in Manchester.

This is the low down.
1) Malaysia Today was founded by RPK at the behest of Dr M and it still funded by Dr M
2) RPK is Dr M’s hired hack. RPK is a freelance black ops operative. He will feed information, half-truths or misinformation to whoever, based on who is paying him to do what. I call him Mahathir’s Rottweiler as Dr M is his anchor client. But he has others, basically money talks. He has no qualms about this as he says everybody does this in Malaysia. To quote him: “There are no Gandhis in Malaysian politics.”
3) Malaysia Today was a tool by Dr M to bring down Badawi. Dr M knew that bringing down Badawi and replacing him with Najib meant having to deal with Rosmah sooner or later.
4) RPK will play both sides for short term gain.
5) Kuli was considered by Dr M to be PM in case Najib didn’t play ball. However, both had huge egos that got into the way of a deal.
6) Dr M had contributed to opposition MPs and to Bersih 1.0 (all those anonymous contributions and via proxy but not 100% lah) to ensure Badawi lost in Penang (home turf) and that his position as PM became untenable, as proven to be the case.
7) Dr M is not motivated by money. He’s got enough to last 10 lifetimes. He’s ruthless”.

I had supper with him two nights ago.

He stands by what I he wrote.

Two days ago, in a post, RPK took great exception with one Victor Lim’s post, that was also carried as a letter in FMT.

Victor, I don’t know who you are, but I will say this.

I think you’ve hit the nail square on its head.

No, ABU is not about installing Anwar as PM.

ABU does not work for  Anwar or Pakatan or any of the other non-BN parties.

For and on behalf of the rakyat, we work with Pakatan and all the other non-BN parties.

ABU is about burying UMNO / BN either at the 13th GE, or outside of  a general election, if that becomes necessary.

ABU is about seeing a new regime installed in Putrajaya, either at the 13th GE, or outside of  a general election, if that becomes necessary.

Anwar for PM?

For the avoidance of doubt, let me restate here what I said in a post in August 2008, just before the Permatang Pauh by-election.

“…so as to lessen the hurt, if any, of what I am about to say, let me first say that whilst I have the highest regard for YB Lim Kit Siang and YB Lim Guan Eng, yet in the matter of the politics and governance of this nation, I do not trust them implicitly and without question, because they are politicians and 50 years of BN politics has delivered a hard and painful lesson to many of us.

Don’t trust politicians completely.

…Whilst I have to be frank and tell you that I still do not trust you, three things have persuaded me to ‘take a chance’.

…A word of advice.

Don’t make the mistakes of Pak Lah.

You have made us many pledges and promises.

…Keep your promises to us.

Where we can recover the nation’s wealth that has been stolen, we must.

You must not do favours for anyone from the past by interfering with our law enforcement authorities.

Restore what is rightfully due to the rakyat.

On Black 14, I heard you use the phrase ‘Ketuanan Rakyat’ for the first time.

Do not waver from this.

End race politics.

End the politicisation of Islam.

You must be brave enough to tell the Malays that this country belongs to all the anak-anak Bangsa Malaysia, to remind the Malays again and again that UMNO’s ketuanan Melayu is unIslamic and has been their evil tool to enrich themselves and divide this nation.

Do this, and be assured of the strongest support from the majority of anak-anak Bangsa Malaysia who, by far and large, are decent people.

…A final reminder.

The rakyat today are not like that of 16 years ago.

We understand national issues better, we are better informed, and we have a greater sense of commitment to the ideals of justice and equality.

And we have a newly found self-belief to pursue these ideals and to pursue change.

Understand and remember that we are no longer afraid.

We fully understand today that governance of this nation was intended to be in the hands of the people, and that when you and your party leaders offer to govern, it is with a view to serve us.

Therefore, understand and remember that it is we, the rakyat, who govern through those who have taken oath to serve us.

It is only by abiding by that oath that you might honourably be called a leader of men.

Any less and you would have proven yourself to be no better than those whom you now endeavour to displace.

- The People's Parliament