The meaning of principles

I mean, look at what happened when I tried to raise money for Nurul Izzah Anwar. All we got was a few thousand ringgit. I then organised a fund raising dinner for Nurul Izzah and even sponsored the entire cost of the dinner and, again, all we managed to raise was a few thousand ringgit. And with this small amount of money how can Nurul Izzah fight against Raja Nong Chik who has hundreds of millions at his disposal.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

One reader has posted repeated comments demanding to know which of the two coalitions I would wish to see winning the coming general election on 5th May 2013. That is the wrong question to ask and if you want to ask me any question then you had better know how and what question to ask.

The correct question to ask me would be: what would you like to see in the coalition that wins the coming general election on 5th May 2013?

I mean it is like the issue of not whom I want as my wife but what I would like to see in wife. Hence asking me whom I want as my wife is the wrong question to ask. You should instead ask me what I expect in a wife. Then you will get a reply or else all you will get is my backhand.

Okay, I know that sounds arrogant. So I am arrogant. So what? That is what makes me what I am. That’s what makes me fight even when the odds are against me. And you do not need to tell me how arrogant I am. The Special Branch has already told me that same thing and they found out how arrogant I can be on both occasions that they detained me without trial.

For example when the Special Branch officers whacked me and said that as a Muslim I should not be insulting Islam, I responded with, “In that case I now leave Islam to become an atheist. So, since I am no longer a Muslim, can I now insult Islam?”

The Special Branch officer slammed the table and shouted at me and I also slammed the table and shouted back at him. He then got so upset he walked out of the room and I turned to the remaining six Special Branch officers and said, “One down, six more to go. Whose next?”

Not a single officer dared open his mouth. They then sent me back to my cell to ‘cool off’ and after lunch they came back to fetch me. However, I refused to leave my cell and for three days I stayed in my cell and refused to come out. And every time they sent my meals to my cell I threw it back at them. My whole cell was covered with discarded food.

On the night of the third day, two senior officers from the Ministry came to my cell (a man and a woman) to ask me to sign some documents. I refused to sign the documents and told these two officers that I am now an apostate. I have announced I have left Islam. So take me outside and cut my head off like what should be done to apostates under the Islamic Sharia law of Hudud.

The officers sighed and left my cell without being able to persuade me to sign the documents. They were so exasperated with me they eventually cut my normal 60-day detention short and on the 10th day they ended all attempts to interrogate me and packed me off to Kamunting.

They then made me attend religious rehabilitation classes and I gave the ustaz such a hard time he never came back to see me again. I was called to the Director’s office who pleaded with me to not embarrass the ustaz in front of so many people (more than 50 other detainees in all) but I still debated the new ustaz they sent and made them look so stupid in front of the other detainees.

In fact, the religious rehabilitation classes were the most fun time that I had in Kamunting. I really enjoyed those sessions and would look forward to these religious rehabilitation classes. I made those ustaz look so stupid and left them speechless.

So tell me, if I am not arrogant would I do all that? So, yes, I am arrogant and I make no apology for that. I am arrogant and proud of it. (The Chinese would probably call me taufung). So there! Tell me something I do not know.

Anyway, for those of you who have limited intelligence and can’t understand what drives me, allow me to tell you where I am coming from. But read this next part of my article only if you are stupid. If you are not stupid then you can stop reading now.

From 1978 all the way up to 2008, for 30 years, my objective was to oppose Umno. And I opposed Umno over those 30 years because I hated corruption. And I, of all people, should know because during that time I was a businessman and I had to personally indulge in corruption to get ahead. So who better to talk about corruption than someone who had to survive and succeed in corruption?

I was just like all you wankers and losers. I hated corruption but I still got involved in it because I had no choice and only by getting involved in corruption could I get ahead. Corruption was necessary. You need to condone it if you want to meet your objectives and achieve what you aspire -- success.

And is this not also what all you wankers and losers believe? You oppose Umno and Barisan Nasional because of the rampant and blatant corruption but you will condone and tolerate corruption by Pakatan Rakyat as long as Umno and Barisan Nasional can be kicked out.

Corruption is necessary or else how can Pakatan Rakyat raise money to contest in the general elections? General elections cost money, plenty of money, and the only way you can successfully raise that much money is through corruption.

I mean, look at what happened when I tried to raise money for Nurul Izzah Anwar. All we got was a few thousand ringgit. I then organised a fund raising dinner for Nurul Izzah and even sponsored the entire cost of the dinner and, again, all we managed to raise was a few thousand ringgit. And with this small amount of money how can Nurul Izzah fight against Raja Nong Chik who has hundreds of millions at his disposal.

Hence if we try the moral and legal way we can never raise enough money to finance the cost of the general election. Therefore we need to do it the immoral and illegal way. So corruption is okay as long as it is Pakatan Rakyat that is corrupted and not Barisan Nasional.

So what have I achieved over those 30 years from 1978 to 2008? I opposed Umno and Barisan Nasional because I detested corruption. You also oppose Umno and Barisan Nasional because you too detest corruption. But you detest corruption only if Umno and Barisan Nasional are corrupted. You are okay with corruption if it is Pakatan Rakyat that is corrupted.

And that is where we part company. I detest corruption by all parties. You detest only Umno and Barisan Nasional’s corrupt deeds. You are okay with Pakatan Rakyat’s corrupt deeds.

So, from 1978 to 2008, we shared the same objectives. After 2008 we no longer share the same objectives. From 1978 to 2008, I opposed corruption in Umno and Barisan Nasional. After 2008 I oppose corruption in both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat.

I take it you don’t like that. Well, then tough. That is your problem, not mine. I have principles. You do not. You talk only. I walk the talk. And I would even oppose my own close friends like Ronnie Liu and Teresa Kok, or whoever it may be who are close to me, if I discover that they are not true to the cause.

That, my friend, is called PRINCIPLES, a word you would not understand.