15 Nov, 2008
Raja Petra with his wife Marina soon after his release on Nov 7 by the Shah Alam High Court.
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 three 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
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Long Live Everyone !
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