What to Make of RPK's tryst with Mingguan?

Truth be told, I didn’t pay much attention to Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK).  Occasionally, when people sent me links, I read his posts on Malaysia Today.  He always had a bone to pick, and generally had data to support it.

He’s a magnet for whistle blowers.  I speculate this is because he’s royalty, hobnobs with political and social elites (he’s a name dropper), cultivates his image by sassy dressing, hires canny lawyers and writes well.

I don’t follow his blog because I don’t care for coarse language; I’m suspicious of people who augment facts and interpretation with the language of rant.  However, that doesn’t change the fact that if I’d been more ‘awake’ at the time of his incarceration under the ISA, I would have protested his wrongful detention.

He’s Che Guevara, proudly royal.  Go figure.

Anyhow, I have a lot of admiration for him.  According to my friends-in-the-know, he’s done a lot forMalaysia, fearlessly calling a spade a spade.  He’s got loyal admirers, even those he’s just failed continue to stand by him.

Thanks to Mingguan Malaysia’s editing out of RPK’s coarseness, I’ve bothered to read what RPK said in his interview with Mingguan, a Malay language broadsheet owned by UMNO and infamous for promoting racism.  As I reflected on what he said, it occurred to me that he’s doing what Mahathir did.

There came a time, under Badawi, when Mahathir was ‘blacked out’ by the mainstream media.  Mahathir’s response was to move to the online media.  RPK says he’s been ‘blacked out’ online.  So he’s moved to the mainline. (!)

And RPK’s got what he wanted.  He’s getting attention.  He’s being heard and discussed, even by the likes of me.

I wonder who’s responsible for the lopsided presentation and interpretation of facts in the interview.  Is it RPK or is it Mingguan?  I’ll just cover a few of them.

In-fighting.  RPK points to infighting in Pakatan’s components.  DAP vs DAP.  PKR vs PKR.  PAS vs PAS.  My response is: where isn't there infighting?  UMNO?  MCA?  MIC?  In West Malaysia?  In East Malaysia?  Fights even occur in religious groups and NGO’s.  And yes, fights occur in MCLM, caused by RPK himself.  Just like us, politicians don’t walk on water.  Get used to it.

Integrity.  RPK says some candidates Pakatan wants to field lack integrity: he’s referring to corruption.  He says UMNO gets it: UMNO is going to field better candidates in the next elections.  [But the evidence to-date, when you consider the candidates UMNO fielded in Penang, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, etc. isn’t convincing.]  Integrity is hard to assess: does anyone remember the early, glowing reports about Khir Toyo, hand-picked by Mahathir?  It’s what a party does when someone is exposed that counts.  We are now in Cowgate!

Let's not forget the party whip when it comes to voting.  It’s NOT just about voting for individuals.  It’s ALSO about voting for parties.  At least for now.

Anything But UMNO.  RPK says, in effect, we must not jump from one UMNO to another.  But what is it about UMNO-BN that makes our bile bitter?  Isn’t it racism?  I am utterly opposed to UMNO-BN because all their calculations are race-based.  They don’t want to build bangsa Malaysia; they want harmony based on acceptance of ranking of races: Malay, Chinese, Indian, Others. Is Pakatan another UMNO-BN?  What has Pakatan said about Utusan and Mingguan?  [I do not deny there are race-based claimants in Pakatan; perfection takes time.]

Anwar.  RPK says it’s not about Anwar.  He’s right.  But Anwar is like Biko in Soweto long ago, RPK some time ago and Dr Jeyakumar and Co. not so long ago.  They are points of focus about injustice.  I don't care whether Anwar did it with Saiful.  I do care about justice and fair trials – including being given notice and opportunity for a defendant to contest evidence to be used against him.

Anwar’s successor.  RPK says the opposition is too dependent upon Anwar.  He rightly asks about succession.  Who will succeed Anwar?  Yet, should we not also ask which is a worse problem to contemplate: Najib’s successor or Anwar’s?  Is it any better on the UMNO-BN side?  Muhyiddin of school principal fame?  Hisham of cow head fame?  Khairy of Guan-Eng’s-son fame?

RPK’s role in PKR/Pakatan.  [Azmin is reputed to have asked ‘Who is RPK to tell us what to do?’]  RPK reminds us he invented the term ‘Anwarista,’ people who will stand with Anwar.  RPK played a big role in mobilizing the public over the injustices perpetrated against Anwar by Mahathir and Co.  However, RPK left the fold and the inner circle.  He couldn’t agree; he left; others continued.  And will continue.  But RPK has a right to speak – as a citizen . . . and a royal.  Azmin should respond to RPK, especially a man with the profile of RPK.

Voters returning to UMNO.  RPK says voters will return to UMNO.  He says the Chinese will return to UMNO.  He says, in effect, the Chinese turned away from UMNO because of his advice, his saying things would be better without UMNO.  But it’s not been so; he implies corruption has increased.  Yet there is a Freedom of Information Act.  And he focuses on Selangor – which includes Hasan Ali and a Sultan.  Why not Penang?  Also, Chinese voters remember Teoh Beng Huat’s death and the failure to prosecute the alleged petty corruption. Chinese also remember what UMNO-BN is doing to Christians – mainly Chinese.

Eskay and Anwar.  What RPK has to say about Eskay is troubling.  According to RPK, Anwar lied when he said he did not know Eskay.  I wonder whether RPK has offered to provide a sworn affidavit about this.  [Perhaps he thinks it’s enough that he’s provided Anwar an opportunity to sue Mingguan for libel?]

Is it about Anwar or is it about the people?  RPK says Anwar is mobilizing his forces and the people to assure his own freedom, not the national interest.  But Anwar remains in Malaysia, facing charges, while RPK is in self-imposed exile in the UK, avoiding prosecution.  Also, shouldn’t Anwar defend himself?  Isn’t Anwar setting an example of standing up and fighting – for justice.  Have we forgotten the overthrow of previous verdicts?

[Due to space constraints, I will not discuss the ABU, Anything but UMNO program; suffice to say that RPK has certainly put MCLM in an odd position.  Another very important point RPK makes: in 2008, BN won 55 of 57 seats in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan.  Expect politicians from Sabah and Sarawak to strut like peacocks!  RPK also says Anwar should be fixing things in Malaysia, not travelling abroad; and that Anwar has failed as adviser to Selangor.]

I admire RPK.  I admire the loyalty he draws from the likes of Art Harun and Haris Ibrahim: I’ve read their candid posts about adamant RPK over the years.

I’ve recorded my own response to the RPK interview.  Now, I turn to others’  responses.  Some accuse RPK of doing a U-turn.  I think he has, with respect to saying MCLM will not field candidates – MCLM’s candidates agree with me.

But has RPK done a U-turn about UMNO-BN?  Is he encouraging people to vote for UMNO-BN?  I don’t think so.

I think he’s saying to non-UMNO-BN folks: be more critical of Anwar and his friends, tell them what you see and think; shape them.  Tell them the great importance of being different from UMNO-BN.  Tell them you want integrity; tell them you want an end to corruption; tell them you want action, now.

When I see the comments many have made online, I am disappointed.  RPK has spoken about many subjects.  He’s coarse, but he’s earned the right to be heard.  He’s mixed up, he’s not grown up, he’s hard to talk to, etc.  But he’s got a point.  We have to think about many things, not just whether a person is black or white.  It's about issues, weighing, debating and taking sides; not about people.

We’ve also got to remember RPK is a political activist with an agenda.  He has people he likes (who wants to be his friend?) and dislikes (Ezam!), people he wants out and people he wants in.  UMNO-BN is as wary of him as Pakatan is.

This is just another chapter.  Mahathir left UMNO.  He rejoined.  Judges were sacked; judges were compensated.  Strange things happen in politics.

Posted by Ramanathan