trying to make a political comeback
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Something is wrong with laws that can charge a man for speaking
against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Islam and race relations, but
let's him go free when he writes seditiously on the Internet.
"We don't understand why the law is like this. You cannot say it, but
you can write it. Something is wrong," Umno Information Chief Tan Sri
Muhammad Muhammad Taib said after opening the Tambun Umno delegates'
meeting yesterday.
Muhammad said he took the initiative as a responsible citizen to
lodge a police report against Malaysia Today webmaster Raja Petra
Kamarudin on July 23 to stop those angry at the government and were
out to "kill a mosquito but end up burning the mosquito net".
Muhammad described the attacks against him on the website as "old
stories" containing many untruths.
"Raja Petra is trying to pull me into another area. These are old
stories. You did a lot of things in school, right? Shall I tell the
world what you did in school?" he asked. -- New Straits Times
(The following work of fiction is inspired by the above news item).
Malaysia Today: Thank you for agreeing to this interview Seri Tan.
Seri Tan: No problem. I feel it is my duty to correct the wrong
persepsi, I mean perception about what is going on. Before that,
please just call me Setan for short. No need to be so formal.
MT: Okay, Seri Tan, sorry, I mean Setan. Now, why have you made a
police report against Malaysia Today? Do you not believe in freedom
of speech? Furthermore, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had promise that
there shall be no censorship of the Internet.
ST: We are not trying to censor the Internet. We are just trying to
stop the lies. The opposition is always telling lies. And they poke
fire to make people fight. We are all Malaysians so we must stay
united. We cannot allow the opposition to make us fight amongst
ourselves. And another thing, I agreed to this interview to show that
I can speak English. I want to prove that Raja Petra lied when he
told the police that I am bodoh who cannot speak English.
MT: Okay, noted, and on that point about the opposition always
telling lies and making people fight amongst themselves, do you mean
Malaysia Today? And is that why you made a police report against
Malaysia Today?
ST: Yes.
MT: But Malaysia Today is not opposition. Malaysia Today also whacks
the opposition. Furthermore, Malaysia Today says that you were in
that Umno Youth rally at the TPCA padang in 1987 when the Youth
Leader then, the present Deputy Prime Minister, brandished a keris
and promised to bathe it in Chinese blood. Malaysia Today also
alleges that you were in fact one of the most vocal anti-Chinese
speakers at that rally. So Malaysia Today is accusing you, instead,
of inciting racial hatred.
ST: Aiyah! That is all old stories. That was 20 years ago. That was
in 1987. Now is already 2007. Why bangkit old stories?
MT: Okay, and talking about old stories, Malaysia Today has published
a letter which you wrote to the late Agong and Sultan of Selangor
denying that you had married his daughter and another letter where
you then admitted it and asked for forgiveness. You then said in that
letter that it is God's will and that you are not to be blamed
because it is God's will. What have you got to say about this other
than it is an old story and God's will? Does this revelation of
Malaysia Today not destroy your credibility?
ST: As I said, that is God's will so how can I be blamed for it? Who
you marry and how many wives you marry is decided by God. We have no
power to decide that. Takkanlah Raja Petra who is a Muslim tak tahu
this and don't believe in this? What kind of a Muslim is he?
MT: Talking about what kind of a Muslim Raja Petra is, the Kelab
Penyokong Maya Umno or KPMU accuses Raja Petra of being a Christian.
That website also says that Christians follow a false God or Tuhan
palsu. The website further says that Raja Petra's character is like
that because he is a Christian and this is typical of Christians. Is
this not seditious and should you not, as the Umno Information Chief,
take the Kelab Penyokong Maya Umno to task for insulting Christians?
In fact, the DAP has made a police report on this article of KPMU.
ST: I have not been informed about that so I cannot comment on it.
MT: But was this not the basis of the police report you made against
Raja Petra; that he insulted Islam and the Agong and also raised
racial issues?
ST: Yes, that's right.
MT: But the police told Raja Petra that the police report was not
about what he wrote but about the comments from readers in the blogs.
But Umno still keeps repeating that Raja Petra insulted Islam and the
Agong and that he raised racial issues. The impression given is that
the police report is with regards to what Raja Petra wrote himself.
Why does the government not correctly put it that it is not what Raja
Petra wrote but about what members of the public posted in the
comments section on the blog?
ST: Aiyah! Same thing lah! Never mind who wrote. As long as it is in
his website then he is responsible for it.
MT: In that case, based on this same argument, there is an even worse
posting in the Prime Minister's website. In fact, Ronnie Liu of the
DAP made a police report against the Prime Minister exactly one week
after your police report against Raja Petra. Should not the Prime
Minister then also be held responsible for whatever is posted in his
website?
ST: The Prime Minister is different.
MT: Why different? You mean to say that the Prime Minister is above
the law and can do something seditious whereas all others must obey
the law? Is this not double-standards?
ST: I did not mean that.
MT: Then what did you mean?
ST: I meant that the PM cannot read his website every day. He is a
very busy man. He is running a country. Not like Raja Petra who is
unemployed.
MT: So, with his very busy schedule, how often do you expect the
Prime Minister to check his website?
ST: Maybe once a month.
MT: But that posting has been in his website almost two years.
ST: Anyone can put something in the PM's website. How can the PM know
about it?
MT: But that posting has been acknowledged with a 'thank you'. That
means someone did read it and thanked the person who posted that
seditious article. So how can it have been inserted without anyone's
knowledge? In fact, all postings in the Prime Minister's website are
moderated and need to be approved first.
ST: What are you driving at? I don't understand.
MT: What I am driving at is that Raja Petra used all the same
arguments in his interrogation as you are now using. Was Raja Petra
right then or do you still insist that he was wrong?
ST: That one we will let the police investigation decide. After all a
police report has been made.
MT: Raja Petra was called in for interrogation two days after your
police report. Has the Prime Minister been called in for
interrogation yet? It is already more than ten days since the police
report.
ST: I don't know. I have no feedback.
MT: Okay, back to the cerita lama, as you say. Raja Petra says that
if you continue to attack him and Malaysia Today he is going to
reveal more documents about your criminal acts and abuse of power
when you were the Menteri Besar of Selangor.
ST: What acts? Cakap saja. Where got?
MT: Raja Petra says he has documents about the RM800 million losses
the Selangor State Government suffered when you privatised the water
supply to Puncak Niaga.
ST: All lies. In what way I abused my power?
MT: Raja Petra says that the contract between Selangor State and
Puncak Niaga was handled by a private legal firm instead of the State
Legal Advisor, as it should have been. And because of that very badly-
written Contract the state suffered a RM800 million loss. Raja Petra
in fact alleges that the Contract was purposely written in favour of
Puncak Niaga so the State had no choice but to suffer the RM800
million losses.
ST: Alamak! That is one case only.
MT: Raja Petra cites many other cases as well.
ST: Kes mana lagi?
MT: Raja Petra says that you spent RM3 billion of the State's money
that the Federal Government paid the State for the sale of Kuala
Lumpur. This was the amount of money which was in the State's
reserves when you took over as Menteri Besar in 1986 and which
'disappeared' when you left in 1997.
ST: We need to develop Selangor. That money was spent to develop the
state so that we can improve the peoples' standard of living. If we
do not use up all the money then how to develop Selangor?
MT: What development?
ST: We built the Selangor Stadium.
MT: But you sold the land around the stadium where Giant, Makro and
Tesco now sit. Those pieces of land were supposed to be part of the
sports complex development but instead the land was sold. So what
other development are you talking about?
ST: That information is under OSA. It is a government secret. I can't
tell you everything. Actually Raja Petra does not have any case
against me. He only raised the issue about my marriage to the
Sultan's daughter. But at least I legally married her. So what is the
issue? No issue lah! Kahwin pun salah ke?
MT: But you married her in Thailand and some say you backdated the
marriage certificate because the Sultan's daughter got pregnant.
ST: No issue lah. Cerita lama. Itu semua Raja Petra punya spin. Nak
rosakkan nama saya.
MT: Raja Petra also alleges that you had an affair with a certain
Puteri Umno Chief from up North. Raja Petra further alleges that she
has admitted it and he is prepared to name her if you want him to.
Raja Petra adds that he has the testimony of Sally whom he alleges
you also had an affair with. Raja Petra also alleges that Sally
supplied you with women and he is prepared to reveal all their names
if you challenge him to do so.
ST: Ah.....ah.....sorry, I lupa. I ada meeting. Dah lambat. I got to
go now.
MT: Okay. Thank you Setan. Maybe we can continue another time when
you are free.
ST: Ah.....tengok dulu. Nanti I contact you.
EDITOR'S ALMOST SINCERE NOTE
The above never happened -- well, sort off -- and any resemblance or
similarities to events or people still alive, already dead, or
certainly about to die is purely coincidental.
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