Raja petra kamarudin
Encyclopedia
Raja Petra bin Raja Kamarudin (born September 27, 1950) is a Malaysian editor known for running the Malaysia Today
website and publishing a series of commentary articles on Malaysian politics in the website. He is also fondly referred to by the initials
RPK.
He was detained for a second time under the Internal Security Act
, at 1.10 PM on 12 September 2008. On November 7, 2008, Raja, 58, was freed from detention by Malaysian authorities after Shah Alam
city High Court Justice Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad granted his habeas corpus
petition and ruled that his September 12 detention was illegal. The court noted that "the grounds for the detention order by Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar for the blogger did not fall under the scope of Section 8(1) of the ISA."
By May 30, 2010 Cheras Umno Division Chairman Datuk Syed Ali Alhabshee had made a statement that the government should strip Raja Petra from his citizenship. He was saying that the government should revoke his citizenship as he is no longer keen to stay here (Malaysia) as Raja Petra is believed that his activities can affect the peace in the country.
, England
, 27 September 1950, Raja Petra Kamarudin was educated at the Alice Smith School. At the age of 13 he went to further his studies at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar
, completing his education at the Victoria Institution
. As his father died when he was only 22, he had to forgo university education and begin working to support his mother and three younger siblings. Raja Petra began work as both owner of a motorcycle dealership and rice distributor. He has been fascinated with motorcycles since he was young. He was known amongst Malaysian motorcycle aficionados as the first one to introduce Yamaha and other Japanese brands to the country.
On April 14, 1973, at the age of 23 years old, he married Marina Lee binti Abdullah who was then 18 years old. Marina Lee Abdullah, of Siamese-Chinese extraction, is a book publisher. Raja Petra and Marina have five children, Raja Suraya (1974); Raja Azman (1977); Raja Shahril (1978); Raja Azmir (1983); and Raja Sara (1988); and four grandchildren.
Raja Petra is a member of the Selangor
royal family. He is the nephew
of the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, the eleventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong
(King) of Malaysia and the seventh Sultan of Selangor
. His royal lineage traces back to his paternal grandmother Tengku Badariah, who is the elder sister of Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah, the second Yang di-Pertuan Agong
of Malaysia and the eighth Sultan of Selangor
. His paternal grandfather, Raja Tun Uda Al-Haj Bin Raja Muhammad
, KBE (1894–1976), a distant cousin of his wife's family, was twice Menteri Besar
of Selangor
during the colonial era the first Yang di-Pertua Negeri
of Penang
(1957–1967) and Malaysian High Commissioner
to the United Kingdom
. His father, Raja Kamarudin bin Raja Tun Uda (1925–1971), studied law in the United Kingdom
and worked for Unilever
until his death. His mother, Che' Bariya Kamarudin (née Barbara Mabel Parnell) (1933–1980), is Welsh
.
)—the party set up in response to the arrest of former Malaysian deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim
in 1998. On April 11, 2001, Raja Petra and 10 other opposition activists were detained under the Internal Security Act
(ISA) for allegedly plotting to overthrow then prime minister Mahathir bin Mohamad. He was released from the detention center 52 days later.
Raja Petra started the Malaysia Today
website and his blog to facilitate open discussion on Malaysia's political and social scenes. In his online writings, he is often very witty, humorous and sometimes critical of the current political developments in Malaysia. In his Malaysia Today's columns, he advocates for transparency
, accountability
and justice in the Malaysian political system
. He often denounces what he sees as deeply rooted money politics, corruption
, and ethnic polarisation
in Malaysia.
On July 2, 2008, Malaysia Today was defaced by a person known only as "Gasakdotnet", replacing the website with a superimposition
of Mahathir Mohammad's face into the poster of the film We Were Soldiers
accompanied by the tagline "My Countrymen, My Fellow Malaysian.", alluding to Mahathir's "battle" for Malaysia as the Prime Minister from 1981 to 2003. Poor Internet connectivity affecting several areas in Malaysia hampered efforts to restore the website promptly.
July 2008, Recent weeks Malaysia Today have been badly blocked (of its IP) or Hacked to prevent readers to view the information. Although the website IP have been changed frequently. But it seems there are no improvement for a smooth viewing of Malaysia Today. Malaysia Today (http://www.malaysia-today.net) died 6:00PM 26 August 2008, left relaunched a new website Harapan Malaysia (http://mt.harapanmalaysia.com) to continue the fight. The current Malaysia Today website is maintained under http://malaysia-today.net/
(ISA). The notice of motion was filed at the High Court criminal registry about 3.45pm via Messrs Mathews Hun Kandiah. In a move to counteract the probable release of Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin by the Malaysian High Court the Malaysian Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar
signed an order to remand Raja Petra on Monday September 22, 2008 for up to two years to the detention facility under section 8 of the ISA. The move by the Malaysian government underlines that there were no probable cause to arrest Raja Petra and that the new order under section 8 is done to keep Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin from criticising the ruling party. Remand orders under section 8 can not be challenged in court and is always ordered by a minister of the government.
Held without trial under the ISA, Raja Petra was jailed at the Kamunting Detention Center
in northern Perak
state, which has 60 detainees under ISA, most of whom are suspected Islamic extremists. ISA permits the government an initial detention of 2 months for investigation, followed by a 2-year jail sentence which can be renewed indefinitely. The 1948 ISA is a holdover from British
colonial rule, intended for communist insurgents. His wife Marina Lee Abdullah said: "(Police) said my husband has been sent to Kamunting
this morning and that he will remain there for two years with no trial. This is the worst news I can receive but we will keep fighting for his release. This is dirty foul play by the government as they know that we are in the process of fighting for his release in the court but I was expecting this. Raja Petra was detained for allegedly 'insulting Islam' and publishing articles on his website which has tarnished the country's leadership to the point of causing confusion among the people." Raja Petra's lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar tried to move for his release in a court hearing but this was dismissed. Raja Petra's detention caused widespread protests by civil society groups, lawyers and other online commentators.
, United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation
(Upko) led by its Secretary-General Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau, joined its 3 other Barisan Nasional
(BN) counterparts MCA
, Gerakan
and MIC petitioning the Government review of the Internal Security Act (Malaysia)
(ISA). Madius said the party supports former de-facto Law Minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim's position that the ISA should only be used against those who posed a threat to national security, such as terrorists: "Clearly in the case of Seputeh
MP, Teresa Kok
, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, and Sin Chew Daily reporter, Tan Hoon Cheng, there are so many other public order laws that can be used against them if, at all, there is a case to do so."
, UMNO
's Information Chief, lodged a police report against Malaysia Today
at 12.57 p.m. at the Tun H.S. Lee police station, under Section 121 (B) and Section 123 of the Penal Code, Section 4 of the Sedition Act 1948
and Section 263 and Section 266 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, for a July 11 blog entry on the website deemed to contain writing that insult the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, degrade Islam and incite hatred and violence between local ethnic groups. Raja Petra Kamarudin responded by releasing an article on Malaysia Today, lashing back on Taib with allegations of hypocrisy and corruption. A second police report against Raja Petra was believed to be lodged after the release of the article, and Raja Petra was summoned to the Dang Wangi police station on July 25, 2007 for eight hours of questioning. His wife was also questioned for an hour.
After his release from questioning, Raja Petra gave his reason on why Muhammad Taib made a police report against him, stating the reason is that the government wished to silence the nations bloggers before the Malaysian general election.
and its vice-chancellor Tan Sri Dr Nordin Kardi for libel.
. Also charged for sedition was businessman Syed Akbar Ali, who had allegedly posted a seditious comment on Malaysia Today.
Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin, who did not deny that he linked Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak to the slaying, pleaded innocent to the charge, and said he should have the right to hold the powerful accountable for wrongdoing. Raja Petra was taken to a detention center after he refused to post the bail of RM
5,000. The court set the trial for October 6, 2008. If convicted, he faces up to 3 years in prison. "I am not posting bail. See you guys in October, I will be out for Christmas. Don't worry." His wife said she was "quite stunned" that Raja Petra refused to post bail, and said she thought he wanted to make a statement by not posting bail, which he reportedly felt he could not afford to. She launched a campaign to solicit donations of RM1 from the public for the RM5,000 bail, but called it off a few hours later after the campaign raised over RM35,000.
Several Members of Parliament from the opposition Pakatan Rakyat
coalition were present at Raja Petra's hearing, with one, Nurul Izzah Anwar
, calling Malaysia Today 'the primary source of a lot of unearthing of scandals especially corrupt practices of the leadership and the government...it has helped [open] the eyes of the nation to what is going on and what is wrong with the country. It played a huge role in the last elections." On the same day, Lim Kit Siang raised the issue of Raja Petra's sedition charges in Parliament, arguing that Najib had personally intervened to ensure the Attorney-General would charge Raja Petra with sedition, and calling it an abuse of power.
Raja Petra Kamaruddin's wife Marina Lee Abdullah stated that "He is on a hunger strike
. It is a protest. The last time he did this, his liver was damaged. I don't think he is going to last that long." Raja Petra also refused visits by family members. On his release, Raja Petra claimed that he had not, in fact, been on a hunger strike but was refusing to eat and drink for fear of being poisoned, as Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Cpl. Sirul Azhar Umar (on trial for the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu
) are being remanded in the same prison.
on June 18, 2008, Raja Petra accused Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor (the wife of Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak) of being one of three individuals who were present at the crime scene when Altantuya Shaariibuu was murdered on October 19, 2006. The statutory declaration also mentioned that every information he obtained regarding the above allegations were contained in a Military Intelligence reports received by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
, implying knowledge on the part of the Prime Minister.
Raja Petra later distanced himself from the statutory declaration, saying its accusations linking Najib and Rosmah to the murder were repeating information passed onto him by opposition figures, rather than information he knew to be true himself. He stated that he did not genuinely believe that Rosmah was at the murder scene. The Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement alleged the interview was heavily edited and spin doctored in favour of Prime Minister Najib Razak just in time for the upcoming Sarawak state elections
. Raja Petra has backed up this assertion during an interview with Malaysiakini
.
The trial of Raja Petra, who has been charged with defaming Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and her two assistants, will begin in the Sessions Court on May 26, 2009. Raja Petra had sought an order from the High Court to refer the matter to the Federal Court on a constitutional point or to return the case to the magistrate's court for trial.
Malaysia Today
Malaysia Today is a popular Malaysian news blog. It is known for being critical of both the governing Barisan Nasional coalition and opposition parties such as the Democratic Action Party and Parti Keadilan Rakyat. Its founder and chief editor is Raja Petra Kamarudin, a former political detainee...
website and publishing a series of commentary articles on Malaysian politics in the website. He is also fondly referred to by the initials
Acronym and initialism
Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed from the initial components in a phrase or a word. These components may be individual letters or parts of words . There is no universal agreement on the precise definition of the various terms , nor on written usage...
RPK.
He was detained for a second time under the Internal Security Act
Internal Security Act (Malaysia)
The Internal Security Act 1960 is a preventive detention law in force in Malaysia. The legislation was enacted after Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957. The ISA allows for detention without trial or criminal charges under limited, legally defined circumstances...
, at 1.10 PM on 12 September 2008. On November 7, 2008, Raja, 58, was freed from detention by Malaysian authorities after Shah Alam
Shah Alam
Shah Alam is the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighboring Klang District. It is located about west of the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Shah Alam replaced Kuala Lumpur as the capital city of the state of Selangor in 1978...
city High Court Justice Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad granted his habeas corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
petition and ruled that his September 12 detention was illegal. The court noted that "the grounds for the detention order by Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar for the blogger did not fall under the scope of Section 8(1) of the ISA."
By May 30, 2010 Cheras Umno Division Chairman Datuk Syed Ali Alhabshee had made a statement that the government should strip Raja Petra from his citizenship. He was saying that the government should revoke his citizenship as he is no longer keen to stay here (Malaysia) as Raja Petra is believed that his activities can affect the peace in the country.
Personal life
Born in SurreySurrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 27 September 1950, Raja Petra Kamarudin was educated at the Alice Smith School. At the age of 13 he went to further his studies at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar
Malay College Kuala Kangsar
The Malay College Kuala Kangsar is a residential school in Malaysia. It is an all-boys and all-Malay school located in the royal town of Kuala Kangsar, Perak...
, completing his education at the Victoria Institution
Victoria Institution
Victoria Institution is a premier secondary school for boys and one of the oldest schools in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The school is widely known as V.I. and a student of Victoria Institution bears the name Victorian....
. As his father died when he was only 22, he had to forgo university education and begin working to support his mother and three younger siblings. Raja Petra began work as both owner of a motorcycle dealership and rice distributor. He has been fascinated with motorcycles since he was young. He was known amongst Malaysian motorcycle aficionados as the first one to introduce Yamaha and other Japanese brands to the country.
On April 14, 1973, at the age of 23 years old, he married Marina Lee binti Abdullah who was then 18 years old. Marina Lee Abdullah, of Siamese-Chinese extraction, is a book publisher. Raja Petra and Marina have five children, Raja Suraya (1974); Raja Azman (1977); Raja Shahril (1978); Raja Azmir (1983); and Raja Sara (1988); and four grandchildren.
Raja Petra is a member of the Selangor
Selangor
Selangor also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west...
royal family. He is the nephew
Nephew
Nephew is a son of one's sibling or sibling-in-law, and niece is a daughter of one's sibling or a sibling-in-law. Sons and daughters of siblings-in-law are also informally referred to as nephews and nieces respectively, even though there is no blood relation...
of the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, the eleventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong
Yang di-Pertuan Agong
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the head of state of Malaysia. The office was established in 1957 when the Federation of Malaya gained independence....
(King) of Malaysia and the seventh Sultan of Selangor
Sultan of Selangor
Sultan of Selangor is the title of the constitutional ruler of Selangor, Malaysia.-Bugis bloodline:The Sultans of Selangor are descended from a Bugis dynasty that claim descent from the rulers of Luwu in the southern part of Celebes...
. His royal lineage traces back to his paternal grandmother Tengku Badariah, who is the elder sister of Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah, the second Yang di-Pertuan Agong
Yang di-Pertuan Agong
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the head of state of Malaysia. The office was established in 1957 when the Federation of Malaya gained independence....
of Malaysia and the eighth Sultan of Selangor
Sultan of Selangor
Sultan of Selangor is the title of the constitutional ruler of Selangor, Malaysia.-Bugis bloodline:The Sultans of Selangor are descended from a Bugis dynasty that claim descent from the rulers of Luwu in the southern part of Celebes...
. His paternal grandfather, Raja Tun Uda Al-Haj Bin Raja Muhammad
Raja Tun Uda Al-Haj Bin Raja Muhammad
Raja Tun Sir Uda bin Raja Muhammad, KBE, CMG, was a Malaysian statesman during the country's struggle for independence and its early years of nationhood. He was a civil servant under the British colonial administration, and eventually rose to important administrative positions within the government...
, KBE (1894–1976), a distant cousin of his wife's family, was twice Menteri Besar
Menteri Besar
The Menteri Besar is the chief executive of the state government for states in Malaysia with hereditary rulers. For states without a monarch, the title Chief Minister is used...
of Selangor
Selangor
Selangor also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west...
during the colonial era the first Yang di-Pertua Negeri
Yang di-Pertua Negeri
The Yang di-Pertua Negeri is the official title of the ceremonial heads of state of the Malaysian states without hereditary rulers, namely Penang, Malacca, Sabah and Sarawak...
of Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
(1957–1967) and Malaysian High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. His father, Raja Kamarudin bin Raja Tun Uda (1925–1971), studied law in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and worked for Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
until his death. His mother, Che' Bariya Kamarudin (née Barbara Mabel Parnell) (1933–1980), is Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
.
Political involvement
Raja Petra was a leading member of Parti Keadilan Nasional (now Parti Keadilan RakyatParti Keadilan Rakyat
The People's Justice Party , often known simply as KeADILan) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party...
)—the party set up in response to the arrest of former Malaysian deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar bin Ibrahim is a Malaysian politician who served as Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister from 1993 to 1998. Early in his career, Anwar was a close ally of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad but subsequently emerged as the most prominent critic of Mahathir's government.In 1999, he was sentenced...
in 1998. On April 11, 2001, Raja Petra and 10 other opposition activists were detained under the Internal Security Act
Internal Security Act (Malaysia)
The Internal Security Act 1960 is a preventive detention law in force in Malaysia. The legislation was enacted after Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957. The ISA allows for detention without trial or criminal charges under limited, legally defined circumstances...
(ISA) for allegedly plotting to overthrow then prime minister Mahathir bin Mohamad. He was released from the detention center 52 days later.
Raja Petra started the Malaysia Today
Malaysia Today
Malaysia Today is a popular Malaysian news blog. It is known for being critical of both the governing Barisan Nasional coalition and opposition parties such as the Democratic Action Party and Parti Keadilan Rakyat. Its founder and chief editor is Raja Petra Kamarudin, a former political detainee...
website and his blog to facilitate open discussion on Malaysia's political and social scenes. In his online writings, he is often very witty, humorous and sometimes critical of the current political developments in Malaysia. In his Malaysia Today's columns, he advocates for transparency
Transparency (humanities)
Transparency, as used in science, engineering, business, the humanities and in a social context more generally, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Transparency is operating in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed...
, accountability
Accountability
Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility, answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving...
and justice in the Malaysian political system
Politics of Malaysia
The politics of Malaysia takes place in the framework of a federal constitutional monarchy, in which the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is head of state and the Prime Minister of Malaysia is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the federal government and the 13 state governments. ...
. He often denounces what he sees as deeply rooted money politics, corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
, and ethnic polarisation
Racial polarization
Racial polarization is the process whereby a population, the individuals of which have varying degrees of diversity in their ancestry, is divided into separate, and distinct racial groups.-Bermuda:...
in Malaysia.
On July 2, 2008, Malaysia Today was defaced by a person known only as "Gasakdotnet", replacing the website with a superimposition
Superimposition
In graphics, superimposition is the placement of an image or video on top of an already-existing image or video, usually to add to the overall image effect, but also sometimes to conceal something .This technique is used in cartography to produce photomaps by superimposing grid lines, contour lines...
of Mahathir Mohammad's face into the poster of the film We Were Soldiers
We Were Soldiers
We Were Soldiers is a 2002 American war film that dramatizes the Battle of Ia Drang on November 14, 1965. The film was directed by Randall Wallace and stars Mel Gibson. It is based on the book We Were Soldiers Once… And Young by Lieutenant General Hal Moore and reporter Joseph L...
accompanied by the tagline "My Countrymen, My Fellow Malaysian.", alluding to Mahathir's "battle" for Malaysia as the Prime Minister from 1981 to 2003. Poor Internet connectivity affecting several areas in Malaysia hampered efforts to restore the website promptly.
July 2008, Recent weeks Malaysia Today have been badly blocked (of its IP) or Hacked to prevent readers to view the information. Although the website IP have been changed frequently. But it seems there are no improvement for a smooth viewing of Malaysia Today. Malaysia Today (http://www.malaysia-today.net) died 6:00PM 26 August 2008, left relaunched a new website Harapan Malaysia (http://mt.harapanmalaysia.com) to continue the fight. The current Malaysia Today website is maintained under http://malaysia-today.net/
Second ISA Detention
Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin filed a habeas corpus application at the High Court here on September 16, 2008 seeking his release from detention under the Internal Security ActInternal Security Act
The term Internal Security Act is often given to a piece of legislation laying down regulations that enable the executive government of a jurisdiction to preserve the internal security of the nation...
(ISA). The notice of motion was filed at the High Court criminal registry about 3.45pm via Messrs Mathews Hun Kandiah. In a move to counteract the probable release of Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin by the Malaysian High Court the Malaysian Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar
Syed Hamid Albar
Tan Sri Syed Hamid bin Syed Jaafar Albar , is a Malaysian politician and the former Malaysian Minister of Home Affairs. He is currently the chairman of the Land Public Transport Commission. He is also a member of the United Malays National Organisation , part of the ruling Barisan Nasional...
signed an order to remand Raja Petra on Monday September 22, 2008 for up to two years to the detention facility under section 8 of the ISA. The move by the Malaysian government underlines that there were no probable cause to arrest Raja Petra and that the new order under section 8 is done to keep Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin from criticising the ruling party. Remand orders under section 8 can not be challenged in court and is always ordered by a minister of the government.
Held without trial under the ISA, Raja Petra was jailed at the Kamunting Detention Center
Kamunting Detention Center
Kamunting Detention Centre is a prison camp located in Kamunting, near the town of Taiping, Perak, in Malaysia. The prison is used by the government to detain and interrogate persons arrested under the Internal Security Act . The detention is also known as Malaysia's Supermax prison or Maximum...
in northern Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
state, which has 60 detainees under ISA, most of whom are suspected Islamic extremists. ISA permits the government an initial detention of 2 months for investigation, followed by a 2-year jail sentence which can be renewed indefinitely. The 1948 ISA is a holdover from British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
colonial rule, intended for communist insurgents. His wife Marina Lee Abdullah said: "(Police) said my husband has been sent to Kamunting
Kamunting
Kamunting is the biggest satellite town in Taiping's Larut, Matang dan Selama district, Perak, Malaysia. It is also the biggest industrial town in Taiping and is famous mainly for being home to the Kamunting Detention Center a prison camp for detainees under the Internal Security Act, many of whom...
this morning and that he will remain there for two years with no trial. This is the worst news I can receive but we will keep fighting for his release. This is dirty foul play by the government as they know that we are in the process of fighting for his release in the court but I was expecting this. Raja Petra was detained for allegedly 'insulting Islam' and publishing articles on his website which has tarnished the country's leadership to the point of causing confusion among the people." Raja Petra's lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar tried to move for his release in a court hearing but this was dismissed. Raja Petra's detention caused widespread protests by civil society groups, lawyers and other online commentators.
Malaysia Today
Meanwhile, in Kota KinabaluKota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu , formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of Sabah state in East Malaysia. It is also the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the northwest coast of Borneo facing the South China Sea. The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park lies on one side and Mount...
, United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation
United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation
The United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation is a political party based in Sabah, east Malaysia. It is an ethnically-based party striving to voice the rights and advance the development of Kadazan-Dusun and Murut population of Sabah and the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia.-History:The...
(Upko) led by its Secretary-General Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau, joined its 3 other Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...
(BN) counterparts MCA
Malaysian Chinese Association
Malaysian Chinese Association is a uni-racial political party in Malaysia that represents the Malaysian Chinese ethnicity; it is one of the three major component parties of the ruling coalition in Malaysia called the Barisan Nasional in Malay, or National Front in English.Along with the largest...
, Gerakan
Gerakan
Gerakan, meaning movement in Malay, can refer to:*the Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, a Malaysian political party*the Gerakan Pramuka Indonesian Scout movement...
and MIC petitioning the Government review of the Internal Security Act (Malaysia)
Internal Security Act (Malaysia)
The Internal Security Act 1960 is a preventive detention law in force in Malaysia. The legislation was enacted after Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957. The ISA allows for detention without trial or criminal charges under limited, legally defined circumstances...
(ISA). Madius said the party supports former de-facto Law Minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim's position that the ISA should only be used against those who posed a threat to national security, such as terrorists: "Clearly in the case of Seputeh
Seputeh
Seputeh is an area and parliamentary constituency in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mid Valley Megamall, Malaysia's largest shopping complex is located here...
MP, Teresa Kok
Teresa Kok
Teresa Kok Suh Sim is a Malaysian Member of Parliament from the Democratic Action Party .-Background:Born and bred in Kuala Lumpur, Teresa is a second-generation Malaysian of Chinese descent. Kok is a member of the Hakka dialect group and her ancestors were from Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China....
, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, and Sin Chew Daily reporter, Tan Hoon Cheng, there are so many other public order laws that can be used against them if, at all, there is a case to do so."
Muhammad Muhammad Taib
On July 23, 2007, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad TaibMuhammad Muhammad Taib
Tan Sri Muhammad bin Haji Muhammad Taib is the former Rural and Regional Development Minister. He is also the United Malays National Organisation information chief and former Menteri Besar of Selangor...
, UMNO
United Malays National Organisation
The United Malays National Organisation, is Malaysia's largest political party; a founding member of the National Front coalition, which has played a dominant role in Malaysian politics since independence....
's Information Chief, lodged a police report against Malaysia Today
Malaysia Today
Malaysia Today is a popular Malaysian news blog. It is known for being critical of both the governing Barisan Nasional coalition and opposition parties such as the Democratic Action Party and Parti Keadilan Rakyat. Its founder and chief editor is Raja Petra Kamarudin, a former political detainee...
at 12.57 p.m. at the Tun H.S. Lee police station, under Section 121 (B) and Section 123 of the Penal Code, Section 4 of the Sedition Act 1948
Sedition Act (Malaysia)
The Sedition Act in Malaysia is a law prohibiting discourse deemed as seditious. The act was originally enacted by the colonial authorities of British Malaya in 1948...
and Section 263 and Section 266 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, for a July 11 blog entry on the website deemed to contain writing that insult the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, degrade Islam and incite hatred and violence between local ethnic groups. Raja Petra Kamarudin responded by releasing an article on Malaysia Today, lashing back on Taib with allegations of hypocrisy and corruption. A second police report against Raja Petra was believed to be lodged after the release of the article, and Raja Petra was summoned to the Dang Wangi police station on July 25, 2007 for eight hours of questioning. His wife was also questioned for an hour.
After his release from questioning, Raja Petra gave his reason on why Muhammad Taib made a police report against him, stating the reason is that the government wished to silence the nations bloggers before the Malaysian general election.
Universiti Utara Malaysia
Raja Petra made headlines in end March 2008 when a Malaysian High Court ordered him in and the group chief editor and editor of PKR’s organ Suara Keadilan to pay a total of RM7 million to Universiti Utara MalaysiaUniversiti Utara Malaysia
Universiti Utara Malaysia is a public university in the town of Sintok, Kedah. Utara means 'northern' in the Malay language. It was formally incorporated on 16 February 1984. The university was established with the specific mission of providing a leadership role for management education in the...
and its vice-chancellor Tan Sri Dr Nordin Kardi for libel.
Accusation of Najib Abdul Razak's involvement
Raja Petra was charged on May 6, 2008 with sedition for allegedly implying that the Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak was involved in the sensational killing of a young Mongolian woman, Altantuya ShaariibuuShaariibuugiin Altantuyaa
Shaariibuugiin Altantuyaa , a Mongolian national, was a murder victim who was either murdered by C-4 explosives or was somehow killed first and her remains destroyed with C-4 on October 18, 2006 in a deserted area in Shah Alam, Malaysia near Kuala Lumpur...
. Also charged for sedition was businessman Syed Akbar Ali, who had allegedly posted a seditious comment on Malaysia Today.
Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin, who did not deny that he linked Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak to the slaying, pleaded innocent to the charge, and said he should have the right to hold the powerful accountable for wrongdoing. Raja Petra was taken to a detention center after he refused to post the bail of RM
Ringgit
Ringgit mostly refers to the Malaysian ringgit, which is the local currency in Malaysia, but it can also refer to the Brunei dollar or Singapore dollar in the Malay language. The word ringgit was originally used to refer to the serrated edges of Spanish silver dollars widely circulated in the area...
5,000. The court set the trial for October 6, 2008. If convicted, he faces up to 3 years in prison. "I am not posting bail. See you guys in October, I will be out for Christmas. Don't worry." His wife said she was "quite stunned" that Raja Petra refused to post bail, and said she thought he wanted to make a statement by not posting bail, which he reportedly felt he could not afford to. She launched a campaign to solicit donations of RM1 from the public for the RM5,000 bail, but called it off a few hours later after the campaign raised over RM35,000.
Several Members of Parliament from the opposition Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat or PR is an informal Malaysian political coalition. It currently controls four state governments while in opposition to the ruling Barisan Nasional at the federal level....
coalition were present at Raja Petra's hearing, with one, Nurul Izzah Anwar
Nurul Izzah Anwar
Nurul Izzah binti Anwar is a Malaysian politician from Parti Keadilan Rakyat , and is the current Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai. She is the daughter of Anwar Ibrahim, a former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and the current de facto opposition leader and of the PKR...
, calling Malaysia Today 'the primary source of a lot of unearthing of scandals especially corrupt practices of the leadership and the government...it has helped [open] the eyes of the nation to what is going on and what is wrong with the country. It played a huge role in the last elections." On the same day, Lim Kit Siang raised the issue of Raja Petra's sedition charges in Parliament, arguing that Najib had personally intervened to ensure the Attorney-General would charge Raja Petra with sedition, and calling it an abuse of power.
Raja Petra Kamaruddin's wife Marina Lee Abdullah stated that "He is on a hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
. It is a protest. The last time he did this, his liver was damaged. I don't think he is going to last that long." Raja Petra also refused visits by family members. On his release, Raja Petra claimed that he had not, in fact, been on a hunger strike but was refusing to eat and drink for fear of being poisoned, as Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Cpl. Sirul Azhar Umar (on trial for the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu
Shaariibuugiin Altantuyaa
Shaariibuugiin Altantuyaa , a Mongolian national, was a murder victim who was either murdered by C-4 explosives or was somehow killed first and her remains destroyed with C-4 on October 18, 2006 in a deserted area in Shah Alam, Malaysia near Kuala Lumpur...
) are being remanded in the same prison.
Statutory declaration
In a statutory declarationStatutory declaration
A statutory declaration is a legal document defined under the law of certain Commonwealth nations. It is similar to a statement made under oath, however, it is not sworn....
on June 18, 2008, Raja Petra accused Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor (the wife of Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak) of being one of three individuals who were present at the crime scene when Altantuya Shaariibuu was murdered on October 19, 2006. The statutory declaration also mentioned that every information he obtained regarding the above allegations were contained in a Military Intelligence reports received by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Tun Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi is a Malaysian politician who served as Prime Minister from 2003 to 2009. He was also the President of the United Malays National Organisation , the largest political party in Malaysia, and led the governing Barisan Nasional parliamentary coalition...
, implying knowledge on the part of the Prime Minister.
Raja Petra later distanced himself from the statutory declaration, saying its accusations linking Najib and Rosmah to the murder were repeating information passed onto him by opposition figures, rather than information he knew to be true himself. He stated that he did not genuinely believe that Rosmah was at the murder scene. The Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement alleged the interview was heavily edited and spin doctored in favour of Prime Minister Najib Razak just in time for the upcoming Sarawak state elections
Sarawak state election, 2011
The tenth Sarawak state election was held on April 16, 2011 after nomination for candidates on April 6. The purpose of the election was to elect 71 representatives to the Sarawak State Assembly...
. Raja Petra has backed up this assertion during an interview with Malaysiakini
Malaysiakini
Malaysiakini is a political news website published in English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. Since its launch on November 20, 1999, it has been widely considered to be one of the leading non-government owned paid-news agencies in Malaysia. Compete.com estimates that Malaysiakini now attracts over...
.
Criminal Defamation Trial
On July 16, 2008 the Malaysian police have obtained a warrant of arrest against Raja Petra for criminal defamation. This is due to his statutory declaration connecting Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, saying she was present when Mongolian national Altantunya Shaariibuu’s body was blown up. On July 17, Raja Petra was charged with three counts of criminal intimidation over his statutory declaration on the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu. He is alleged to have defamed Deputy Prime Minister's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor by making a libellous statement in the declaration which he affirmed on June 18 when he knew that it would tarnish her good name. He also faced similar charges against Kolonel Norhayati Hassan and her husband Acting Kolonel Abdul Aziz Buyong.The trial of Raja Petra, who has been charged with defaming Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and her two assistants, will begin in the Sessions Court on May 26, 2009. Raja Petra had sought an order from the High Court to refer the matter to the Federal Court on a constitutional point or to return the case to the magistrate's court for trial.