RPK: I’m no sellout

By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 — Controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin insisted today he is still behind the opposition cause and denied that he has sold out after giving an interview to TV3.

He caused a stir two days ago when he said on the national television station that he never accused Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife of being behind the gruesome 2006 murder of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shariibuu.

The editor of the Malaysia Today news portal explained his actions in an email interview withThe Malaysian Insider. The full text is reproduced below.

TMI: You were recently in Australia, meaning you have a passport to travel. Where are you now and where are you based? Will you be coming back to Malaysia soon?

RPK: I am currently in Bali. And no, I will not be going back to Malaysia, at least not until the government changes. If Barisan Nasional remains the government then I shall have to be buried in Brookwood beside my mother when I die.

Why do you ask whether I am coming back to Malaysia? Because of my TV3 interview? If I do a TV3 interview and then return to Malaysia (which would mean I can’t if I did not do that interview) would that not be too obvious that the interview was a sell-out?

Stupid move don’t you think?

TMI: Why did you give the interview to TV3? You have attacked the press, especially mainstream, in Malaysia before. Why trust them? Are there no other avenues?

RPK: Do I need to trust them to give an interview?

I don’t trust you or Malaysian Insider either. I think you are tools for Khairy Jamaluddin and Kalimullah Hassan. Yet you send me this interview and yet I respond.

You came to me. I did not go to you. TV3 also came to me. I did not go to them.

(Note: The Malaysian Insider is not owned by or connected in any way to either Khairy Jamaluddin or Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan.)

TMI: Now PKR are calling you a turncoat for what they say is an attempt to discredit Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Is this true, or are they overreacting?

RPK: Anyone who whacks Najib, (Datin Seri) Rosmah (Mansor), (Tun Dr) Mahathir (Mohamad), (Tan Sri) Muhyiddin (Yassin), Khairy (Jamaluddin), (Datuk) Mukhriz (Mahathir) and so on is a patriot, Godsend, loyal Malaysian, and reincarnation of Gandhi and Mother Teresa both in one, as far as the opposition is concerned.

Anyone who even mildly criticises the opposition or its leaders is a traitor, a turncoat, has been bought, has sold out, is doing it for money, and much more.

This is typical opposition mentality.

They accuse the government of not allowing freedom of speech. They mean, of course, freedom to criticise the government. But when you criticise the opposition that is not freedom of speech. You are a Judas.

Show me one thing I said in my TV3 interview that I have not said before. Is there anything new I have said in the TV3 interview or am I merely repeating myself?

People say: I merely write in Malaysia Today. How many people actually read Malaysia Today? How many Malaysians access the internet? Very few! Television, however, reaches 97 per cent of the population, they say.

But when I finally get on television they get upset. Why? Do you think TV3 is going to air my interview if I whack Najib and condemn the government? They give me airtime because I criticise Anwar.

You mean I have never criticised Anwar before? Anwar even criticised me in his talk in Sydney, Australia. You can see the video on Youtube. So we have been criticising each other for a long time.

In 2004, I resigned from Suara Keadilan in a huff during the PKR Ipoh convention due to a conflict and concentrated full time on Malaysia Today. So the “feud”, if you want to call it that, is seven years old, not something new.

The only difference between then and now is that, then, my criticism was confined to the Internet. Now it is on national television. That is the only difference. And that is the real issue here.

If I had said what I said on Australian radio and television (which I have) then people would not get upset. But when I say the same on TV3 they get upset. This is because TV3 is owned by Umno. But if TV3 happened to be owned by Anwar Ibrahim they would not mind. It is because it is owned by Umno that they are upset.

The trouble is they associate the opposition with Anwar. I am Rome and Rome is me! We need to change that. Anwar is Anwar and the opposition is the opposition. Anwar is not indispensable. We can’t put the entire future of the opposition just on Anwar.

What happens if Anwar is sent to jail? And there are reasons to believe he will. Does the opposition close down? We must be able to look beyond Anwar. This is not about Anwar. It is about the cause, the fight for change. Sometimes we may need to criticise Anwar to save the opposition.

And have I not said this many times before? So what am I saying now that I have never said before? I am just repeating myself here. Only this time it has gotten onto national television.

Incidentally, what I am saying is what many are also saying. The only difference is: they whisper behind Anwar’s back and praise him to his face. I tell it to his face. That is the only difference.

When Anwar was in jail from 1998 to 2004, how many of these Anwar “diehards” came to Anwar’s house every Thursday night. I used to go to his house on Thursday nights and the “crowd” was only about 100 or so.

Today, many people are Anwar diehards. Let’s see when the government again sends Anwar to jail whether these same people will be in Anwar’s house every Thursday night or whether the “crowd” will dwindle, yet again, to a mere 100.

Nurul Izzah (Anwar) and I went before the Australian Foreign Affairs Committee last month to brief the Parliamentarians about what the government is doing to Anwar and to ask for the help from the Australian government. One month before that I did this TV3 interview (although it just came out).

So, on the one hand I ask foreign governments to help Anwar. On the other hand I also criticise Anwar. Anwar and the cause are two separate issues. I may support one but I may criticise the other because they are two different issues.

TMI: Some have interpreted this as you saying DS Najib and his wife are not involved in the murder of Altantuya. Is this what you’re saying? Or are you still convinced they are involved?

RPK: Have you read my statutory declaration, which is the focus of my first interview? Did I allege they are involved in the murder or did I say that Lt-Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin made that allegation and, therefore, this has to be investigated? What I signed in that June 2008 SD is what I am still saying today.

TMI: People are speculating, as Malaysians do, that you gave this interview for reasons such as money or a deal to allow you to return to Malaysia without being charged or arrested. Your response?

RPK: Malaysians always and only think about money. So they try to read into everything you say or do as being about money. If I praise Anwar and the opposition, it is not about money. It is about the struggle, the cause, ideals, and so on.

Why don’t they also say that you were paid by Anwar to support the opposition? Only when you criticise the opposition and/or Anwar is it about money.

When a person is a thief, he imagines everyone else also as thieves. So when people only think about money, they always think that what you are doing must be about money. It can’t be for other reasons.

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Comments (28) Add Comment

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written by No nonsense, April 16, 2011 23:28:44

Just want to ask this question- why do you want to give an interview to TV3 knowing very well that it is Bn's mouth-piece? I find it damn funny at this stage. Sarawak election is going on and yet you are saying things that will damage the chances of PR. Why,why,why??? I have respected you all along and why are you doing all these? Please explain.

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written by Super Admin, April 16, 2011 19:23:52

Jackal, I waited 3 years and hoped they would abolish elections before I will do this interview but they don't seem to want to abolish elections. So I did it 2 months ago when no one knew yet when the Sarawak elections were going to be held, not even Najib.

RPK

-5

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written by syd, April 16, 2011 14:09:45

i m still surprise why people regard anwar highly. he was a useless minister whilst in government. we need a nes opposition leader. lim guan eng fits the bill nicely ince rpk is reluctant to be an active politician.

-6

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written by Jackal, April 16, 2011 13:28:56

RPK, I am not in a positio to judge you......whether you are a sellout.....only you know yourself....I ONLY have one question for you.....why have the interview now especially when the GE is around the corner and most importantly the SARAWAK ELECTION???????

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written by Citizen Watch, April 16, 2011 12:39:10

Imtiaz said that MCLM has to be independant and to distance from RPK's lack of judgment. So RPK losing credibility as leader?

MCLM is doing damage control through statements made by Imtiaz and Haris Ibrahim.

For MCLM to be a father figure to the opposition parties and chastise them is downright condescending in statement. MCLM and RPK have a mountain to surmount in getting back the trust of genuine justice seeking rakyat before the GE13. They have to prove they will not again be an eleventh hour strategem for BN to destroy PR in GE13 otherwise they will be relegated to the annals of history as in the same league with Kita, Perkasa, etc. . Consider the following.:

- Why is MT still up and running compared to Sarawak Report and Malaysiakini (even a commercially supported entity)? In the 2008 GE, MT was blocked.

- Why the preference for a known devil (BN) in article "Matter of Ethics"?

- RPK TV3 interview whacking Anwar (despite MCLM defending and Imtiaz saying lack of judgement on RPK's part and distancing themselves.

- Admiration for Tun Mahathir.

- Articles and a video of Nalla whacking Anwar in MT favourable to BN run up to Sarawak election.

- Past months waffling articles in MT cajoling the MT readers to be mindful of PR and its leaders and to dissuade the readers from supporting PR (including article Matter of Ethics).

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written by jqhk, April 16, 2011 11:49:16

>>>> DEAL or NO DEAL" between RPK AND ROSMAH>>>.RPK accepted the DEAL>>>>SO??????

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written by An Old Man, April 16, 2011 06:38:21

Why many Malay politicians and civil servants do not trust their own kind to handle corruption money? Answer: Because they know most Malays cannot keep their mouth shut! And let's face facts; most Malays are very vulnerable to temptations. Hence it is easy to "buy" them over. RPK is just a case in point. (Don't get me wrong; there are many many great Malays - people like Raja Mohar, Tan Sri Raja Alias, just to name a few.)

I am no supporter of UMNO; neither am I a supporter of DSAI. From day 1 of the publication of RPK's SD, I knew it was a tall tale. But because it came from RPK, everyone treated it as a fact. Simple change is what is needed in Malaysia - good governance, less greed and corruption, a culture to pursue knowledge and excellence, etc. All these are basic values. But all these call for right mind-sets. By making the Malays hooked on NEP goodies, people like TDMM and Ibrahim Ali are introducing weak genes to the Malays' DNA evolution. The leaderships in MCA and MIC are sick to the core in terms of vision, courage and values. KeAdilan on the other hand is very much a pool of frogs. Even the better ones like Khalid Ibrahim are bad leaders. (Those who know KI know that he is actually a lousy manager. Don't count on RPK; he is really no saint. Sad indeed!

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written by Singa, April 16, 2011 02:23:36

RPK you may have your own agenda which only time will tell. But for the moment you have done some irreversible damage.
Giving ABC an interview is not the same as giving TV3 an interview. ABC will not twist nor spin your story for any ulterior motives. TV3 will do just that.
The Lt Col was probably waiting for a change of Govt. to expose Najib and Rosmah but now he may be C4ed.
However lacking DSAI may be in leadership Pakatan will lose its lustre and its will to carry on without him

You may have learnt a lot in England about Objective Journalism but it only works here and in the west due to the high literacy rate of the population. Its different in Malaysia where the more subjective you are the more believeable you may sound. Rural folk do not buy your objective reporting, thats the Rural Dilema for you.
Anyway Good Luck and I really, really mean it.

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written by red1, April 15, 2011 23:01:32

I was in a 7 Eleven store today at Kota Damansara and i noticed the newspapers are not sold. Many copies of The Star, NST, BH, etc are left on the stands. People are fed up of the newspapers spin on eve of elections day. Let the paper companies rot. Less tax to pay.

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written by Hanuman, April 15, 2011 22:17:22

I, from reading all those comments and feedbacks, also noticed most MT readers are dislillusioned about what RPK did. One thing postive, however, I noted from all these is that EVERYONE WANTS A CHANGE! Most are still against the present government and wants a change to free the oppressed and marginalised Rakyats.
We are all sad and frustrated about what had happened BUT we will not let this "nightmare" affect our objective of voting BN out!
I just hope we can bury this "nightmare" and continue on with our struggle to seek justice and truth for an already oppressed, corrupted and persecuted society.

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written by Northface, April 15, 2011 22:03:38

"What happens if Anwar is sent to jail? And there are reasons to believe he will. Does the opposition close down?"

RPK has been saying this since day 1, since Zaid went on his on and since all the money grabbing MPs switched sides etc.

The opposition isn't about one single person, what will YOU GUYS do if they nail Anwar again this time? Does the opposition just shut down and go into self-destruct count down because our all supreme god-like non-criticizable Jesus like leader Anwar is no longer around?

Or will you keep fighting, will you have the balls like Middle Easterns to take it to the streets, protesting in the face of their tyrannical regimes even though you faced death? Probably not, because most Malaysians take their war to the comment section, LOL smilies/grin.gif

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written by nagappan, April 15, 2011 21:52:23

I get it. RPK just wants all the dumbos to understand that Anwar is not indispensable. He had to do it through TV3 so that more dumbos will understand this. I suppose this will help to change the government.

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written by IbnAbdHalim, April 15, 2011 21:39:09

I don't think most Malaysians 'know' Pete. Most think that he has changed. Did he? Not a bit. He's still the same person. The only thing that change is his strategy.

But Pete your strategy isn't going to work with the present government. They aren't going to investigate your SD. Their mission is to save Najib's skin. That's all.

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written by Rodins Fist, April 15, 2011 21:14:53

What's the big deal? BN owned mainstream news always lies.

It was not a mistake or a sell-out. He, RPK, has always told it like it is. Before you 'judge' him ask yourself: What would you have done? Would you have consented to the the interview or not?

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written by Midvalley, April 15, 2011 20:14:24

What ever happened is not important the most important issue here - Can the killer or killers ever sleep well every nights.

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written by MrHot, April 15, 2011 20:11:31

Whatever happen RPK Sir, I believe majority of MT-zen & I will be solidly behind you !

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written by chipon, April 15, 2011 20:10:33

This is crap! For once, I sincerely believe RPK has done a mistake, where politics is concern. We have the mainstream medias who are always consistent in supporting UMNO, and we have the alternative medias who always try to be too idealistic. We have to understand that not all the readers are smart people, some are still very easy to be influenced, especially by people who writes with flair and confidence like RPK. The thing is, nobody is perfect, not even Anwar Ibrahim. But within the context of politics, it is always about choosing the least imperfect leader. And in this case, it's about choosing between Anwar and Najib, which is very clear that Anwar is a better leader than Najib hands down. But what is happening now is that there is sooo much bashing of Anwar that it seems (to lay ppl) Anwar is even worse than Najib. This is wher it all goes wrong.

+152

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written by JJFoo, April 15, 2011 20:09:55

Malaysians should quite these nonsensical guessing and spinning game.
Altantuya die tragically, can Malaysian give her justice?

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written by Alice, April 15, 2011 18:59:40

RPK , once again tried to bring the real truth out and unfortunately many Malaysians got confused.
He trusted one Col. Azmi and that guy betrayed him. The 2nd most important man in the military intelligence sure does know why or how his men were involved in a gruesome murder. At that point of time he would have been stunned (Col Azmi) and truly wanted to expose the truth. He looked for RPK coz,at that point of time RPK was the bravest Malaysian around to speak out. Maybe this God fearing Col Azmi who surely prays 5 times a day, would have felt compelled to expose the truth however or just maybe his boss would have offered some great amount of $$$$ and he turncoat and abandoned the whole mission and shredded the report. Maybe it was just too much of pressure to fight for justice and gave up. Maybe he received death threats ........

That chinaman Mr Phang would have been excited about the promotion in CIMB and ran for the $$$$$$$.
So that leaves a poor RPK stuck in a mess and all his reliable sources deserted him for a better future.
Moral of the story: NOBODY CAN BE TRUSTEDLAH. MONEY IS THEIR GOD!!!

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written by Taikohtai, April 15, 2011 18:40:50

Pakatan did extremely well when they planned for the day when DSAI goes back to prison, rightly or wrongly.
In his shoes will be other leaders such as Nurul, LGE, etc, etc. These younger generation shall form the next solid defence of patriotic Malaysians and I dare say, they are made of stuff as strong as their predecessors, if not sterner!
What about RPK? Who will succeed him? MCLM?
Pakatan is NOT perfect and never claims to be. But they learn and adapt well. In them Malaysians shall learn to trust and free themselves from the shackles put on them by BN.

+139

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written by mob1900, April 15, 2011 18:08:47

(Note: The Malaysian Insider is not owned by or connected in any way to either Khairy Jamaluddin or Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan.)

LOLZ!
Heard of a term called PROXY?
Besides, TMI asks Dumb questions by parroting UMNGOK, saying RPK deny the involvement of Bik Mama and DNA.
RPK has never lied about the info he got from a 'reliable' source(back then after 2 confirmations) about the involvement for Bik Mama & DNA. Read the SD before making yourself look silly, TMI. Instead of investigating about the allegations of their involvement, RPK was thrown to jail by the eager-beaver AG and PRDM.

TMI, you can tapau and go home, don't waste ppl's time parroting your master's agenda.

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written by Catharsis, April 15, 2011 18:08:27

RPK....................IF................."One month before that YOU did this TV3 interview (although it just came out)....................THEN I SUPPOSE YOU FELL FOR THEIR TRAP HOOK LINE AND SINKER..................their SPIN MASTERS ARE WORKING OVERTIME now ....................

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written by dinosaur, April 15, 2011 17:44:05

Why bother so much about what were and will be said in the MSM and TV? What remain most important is "why some one so cruelly tried to make the poor young and helpless lady disappear from this earth and what was the motive behind"? Will we ever have answer to that one day? Gosh, sad and horrible!
smilies/sad.gif

+123

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written by Khan, April 15, 2011 17:41:27

Before RPK's interview on TV3, so many kampung fellows were not even aware of the Altantuya murder nNajib's involvement. Only through RPK interview on the matter, so many is aware and questioning what is the issue all about. This alone can be the reason for RPK to move beyond his Mtoday and choose enemy's platform to launch a vicious attack! RPK remains a master strategist only we his followers are dumbasses.

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written by educationist, April 15, 2011 17:38:33

"But when you criticise the opposition that is not freedom of speech. You are a Judas." -RPK I'm glad u have that perspective.
Perhaps it's good u reflect on how tolerant u are to differing viewpoints yourself !!
That said, I'm happy to know that u have reasserted u are no sell-out!!
Of course, insignificant my opinion may be, it is sincere!!

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written by SpeakOut, April 15, 2011 17:22:41

Rpk - sleep well my friend. To me you are consistently being yourself- a defender of truth. Nothing anybody say can make me change my mind. Just continue to stay true to yourself mate.

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written by eloofk, April 15, 2011 17:16:10

Hahaha.........................

I may be wrong in my dissertation Of RPK, but i have never for one moment believe that he has suddenly became a turn-coat to sell-out the opposition cause. Every action has a motive and knowing him to be a man of conviction and principle, he will never stoop to sell out his own soul.

When you read more into his actions and words and the time period for doing what he did, you would definitely would arrive at a conclusion of his principle for not revealing his motive for fear of repercussion on him and other people around him.

Dont judge him precociously!!!

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written by DreamLady, April 15, 2011 17:11:42

I wonder why most people prefer to focus on the supposedly black little dot on the wide space of whiteness that speaks volumns of hidden purities, instead these are the people who are quick to crucify the one they used to idolize and admire without sieving through facts from fiction. The least they can do is to allow the dust to settle and the air is clear before judgment is passed....not forgetting that the same person has gone through so much to speak up for the downtrodden and the suppressed in the land we called Malaysia, and sad to say, that is what he gets in the end for trying to rectify the wrongs for all of us, what a shame!!